The Spiritual Roots of America’s Economic Crisis
Introduction: The Judgment
of America
Contrary to what many Americans believe, including many Christians and Christian leaders, the United States is being judged. Even though they seem like separate and unrelated incidents, in point of fact, both the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 and our present economic crisis are “spiritually intertwined” – both part of a much larger multifaceted picture. This study explains the spiritual aspects behind the terrorist attack of September 11th, why this attack spiritually affected America’s economic collapse (which in turn, affected others worldwide), and why it was the direct result of our sins together with the sins of our forefathers having reached their full measure.
According to Scripture, America as a nation has committed many sins, both past and present. None stands out more than our idolatry and covetousness, which have precipitated such specific sins as replacing Christianity with the new secular religion of Liberty, enslaving Africans, exploiting Native American Indians, and the unbridled greed of American commerce. Right from the start, America’s lawmakers, rather than submitting to the law written on their hearts, transgressed the Law of God and changed His ordinances by passing man-made laws based upon human traditions and pagan lawmakers. Many of these laws nullified the Word of God and led people into sin. These sins demand an accounting by a righteous God.
Notwithstanding that many sins
contributed to America reaching her full measure, to spiritually understand the
events of September 11, 200l it is important to understand that the timing of the terrorist attack on America was
spiritually linked to September 11, 1787. The specific month and day is significant
because America was attacked 214 years later to the month and day that James
Wilson, Congressman from Pennsylvania and a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and U.S.
Constitution, prophesied before the Pennsylvania legislature that America “would
lay a foundation for erecting temples of liberty in every part of the earth”.[1] Wilson’s
prophecy was a reflection of America’s Founding Fathers beliefs in Enlightenment
– not those of Christianity.
It is well known that America’s Founding Fathers, as well as those who later implemented their plans and beliefs, used artwork and architectural symbolism to spiritually link our nation’s capital to civilizations of antiquity. Thus, another key to understanding the spiritual aspects of the economic crisis, as well as the war in Iraq, is the symbolism of the “geographical fish” in Washington, DC, as shown in the 1928 annotated aerial photograph below, which was compiled and produced by the U.S. Government Printing Office. [2]
L’Enfant and President Washington, peers of James Wilson, incorporated the fish into the geographical footprint of Washington, DC at its inception to show the relationship between the spiritual and natural realms. This was also to link America spiritually to the ancient city of Nineveh, which, like DC, was represented by the picture of a fish inside the enclosure of a city.
We know from Scripture that God is in control of all things, big and small, and that because of this, we know that He allowed both the terrorist attack on America and our current economic crisis to occur. However, He only allowed the attacks along specific spiritual lines where spiritual connections and sin openings existed. In other words, the Lord “leveled and made a straight path for His anger” – spiritual pathways for judgment.
Why Now? – Reaping from
the Sins of our Forefathers
There is a Biblical principal that nations as well as individuals reap corporately from what both they and their forefathers sow. Today, both the terrorist attack on America and the current economic crisis have come to pass because America is reaping from what we and our forefathers have sown.
As Jeremiah lamented,
Lamentations 5 [7]
Our fathers
have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.
The
concept of national sins is not just an Old Testament principle. When speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees,
Jesus addressed the sins of their fathers, who had killed the prophets, as reaching
their full measure. As Jesus said to
them,
Matthew 23 [31] Thus you are testifying against
yourselves that you are the
descendants of those who murdered the prophets. [32] Fill
up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim [so that nothing may be
wanting to a full measure]. [33]
You serpents! You spawn of vipers! How can you escape the penalty to be suffered
in hell (Gehenna)? [34] Because of this,
take notice: I am sending you prophets
and wise men (interpreters and teachers) and scribes (men learned in the Mosaic
Law and the Prophets); some of them you will kill, even crucify, and some you
will flog in your synagogues and pursue and persecute from town to town. [35] So
that upon your heads may come all the blood of the righteous (those who
correspond to the divine standard of right) shed on earth, from the blood of
the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah,
whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar [of burnt offering]. [36] Truly
I declare to you, all these [evil, calamitous times] will come upon this
generation. (Amplified Bible, emphasis added)
Jesus was
saying that there is a point in time when the sins of a nation are “filled to
the brim” and when that point in time is reached, that nation will reap
judgment from their sins. The sins of
their fathers reached their full measure as a nation when they crucified Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 2 [14] For you, brethren, became imitators of the
assemblies (churches) of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea, for you too
have suffered the same kind of treatment from your own fellow countrymen as
they did [who were persecuted at the
hands] of the Jews. [15] Who killed both the LORD Jesus
and the prophets, and harassed
and drove us out, and continue to make themselves hateful and offensive to God
and to show themselves foes of all men.
[16] Forbidding and hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles (the nations)
that they may be saved. So as always they fill up [to the brim the measure
of] their sins. But God’s
wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever]! (Amplified Bible,
emphasis added)
The Sins of America are filled to the Brim
The terrorist
attacks on America (whether it was the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 or the
2001 attack) and the still unfolding current economic crises have come about
because America has reached that point in time when our nation is reaping from
our past and present sins. America’s
sins are not isolated to the sins of any one particular generation. Rather, America is reaping from what our
ancestors and we have sown throughout the generations over a period of more
than 400 years.
In May of
2007, America celebrated the 400th anniversary of the founding of
Jamestown and spiritually, there was cause for celebration. As part of the 400th year
celebration and for the first time in America’s history, legislatures from
several former slave states, including the state of Virginia, as well as the
President of the United States publicly and officially acknowledged that
America’s forefathers were wrong to have sanctioned and engaged in slavery. It was for that reason that the Nicolaitan
spirit that “lorded over” both those who were enslaved with the visible
shackles of slavery and the invisible shackles of racism and discrimination was
pushed back and the door was open for the first African American to be elected
as President of the United States only one year later in 2008. (see the articles titled Jamestown:
America’s First English Colony and The Spiritual Dimensions of
the 2008 Presidential Campaign) The injustices against the Native American Indian were
acknowledged as well, and for that reason, I believe that the “Tecumseh Curse”
has been reversed.
On the
other hand, many of America’s national sins were not acknowledged. Given that the sins of a nation are full and
complete at 400 years, then 400 years as a nation is a reason for Americans to
repent of all their sins as well as celebrate.
God’s Timing and 400 Years:
God’s
timing for the Israelites to be set free from slavery was specifically linked
to the point in time that He judged the Amorites as a nation. God told Abraham that after 400 years of
slavery, his descendants would possess Canaan when the sins of the Amorites
were full and complete (Genesis 15:13-16). The
term Amorite and Canaanite are one and the same.
It seems their sins as a nation were full and complete in the fourth
generation,, which corresponded to the 400 years the Egyptians enslaved the
Israelites. Given that it was after 400
years of slavery that the LORD intervened and judged Egypt for enslaving the
Israelites, it is reasonable to conclude that the sins of other nations would
be full and complete at 400 years as well.
Again, as Jesus said, “Fill
up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim [so that nothing may be
wanting to a full measure].” (Matthew 23:32, Amplified Bible)
Obviously,
it was long before Moses was born, that the LORD had revealed to Abraham that
his offspring would be in bondage for 400 hundred years. Given the time frame of 400 years, Moses’
first attempt at freeing the Israelites from bondage, which resulted in the killing
of an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-15), would have fallen short of the set time. However, at the appointed time, which was 400
years according to Acts 7:6 or 430 years to the day [3] according to Exodus 12:40-41, God sent Moses back
(Acts 7:34) to
deliver the Israelites out of bondage and lead them out of Egypt.
Given the
spiritual significance of the relationship between 400 and 430 years and the
sins of a nation reaching fullness, then we should look at America in that same
time frame. More to the point – what
has America reaped in that same time frame and why?
To answer
that question, we need to keep in mind that America’s “spiritual” forefathers
include both French and Spanish, as well as English. All three have contributed in one way or
another to America’s sins being filled to the brim. (See: The Spiritual Seeds of America and
The Curse over America: the Spanish Requerimiento for background)
Therefore,
taking into account that in 1565 the Spanish established governmental and
spiritual roots in present day America just one year after the French Huguenots
established their governmental and spiritual roots, we can see that the timing
of both attacks by “al-Qaeda” on the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001 is of
the utmost significance.
- Al-Qaeda’s first terrorist attack in 1993 occurred 428 years after the Spanish
supplanted the French Huguenot colony in present day Florida and replaced
it with a Spanish colony.
- Al-Qaeda’s second terrorist attack in 2001 occurred 436 years after the same events.
- We also need to keep in
mind that our current economic crises in America started approximately 400
years after England established their governmental and spiritual roots
at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.
It may
seem unreasonable and unwarranted that a nation can reap from the sins of their
leaders before their death let alone after their death. The many Americans who believe that America
is the greatest nation in the world may find this belief deplorable and even
unacceptable that America could ever come under God’s judgment. However, it is a Biblical principle that is
made known throughout the Bible. For
example, 2 Samuel 21 reveals that it was not until after the death of King Saul
that the greatest nation on earth, Israel, experienced a three-year famine
because of King Saul’s past sins. More
to the point, if the greatest nation on earth can reap from their sins, then
surely America will reap from hers.
A nation may
reap from their sins at any given time, not just when they reach their 400th
year as a nation. For example, we know
that the nation of Israel reaped from the sins of King Saul before he
died. However, it was not until after
the death of King Saul, that the nation of Israel experienced a three-year
famine because of Saul’s sin against the Gibeonites. 2 Samuel 21 reveals that Saul sinned when he
violated the covenant which Joshua had made with the Gibeonites. Consequently, even though Saul was dead, the
Gibeonites were able to call down a curse upon Israel that resulted in the
famine. Even though this particular
covenant was made hundreds of years before the birth of Saul, nonetheless, all
future leaders of Israel were to honor this covenant just as Joshua, a leader
of Israel, had honored the covenant. Because
it was a national leader of Israel who violated the covenant, the entire nation
of Israel was affected by a famine. It
was only after another king, King David, went to the Gibeonites and made
atonement on behalf of Israel that the three-year famine stopped and God healed
their land.
To
reverse the curse, as atonement the Gibeonites required that David deliver unto
them seven of Saul’s sons to be put to death, and for that reason, David
delivered unto them seven of Saul’s household.
2 Samuel 21 [3] Wherefore David said unto the
Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith
shall I make the atonement, that
ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord? [4] And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will
have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou
kill any man in Israel. And he said, What
ye shall say, that will I do for you. [5] And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and
that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of
the coasts of Israel, [6] Let seven
men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the
Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them. (emphasis added)
It was seven of Saul’s sons that the Gibeonites requested for atonement in order for them to reverse the curse. Interestingly, this is the same number of American Presidents that have died before leaving office because of a curse cast on them by a Shawnee Indian. The Shawnee cast the curse basically for the same reason that the Gibeonites cast the curse on Israel: American presidents, like King Saul, did not honor treaties that either they or past presidents made with the Native America Indians and as a result, many Native Americans lost their lives and their land.
The Tecumseh Curse
The “Tecumseh Curse” was cast by Tenskwatawa as retribution for the death of his brother, Tecumseh, Chief of the Shawnee Indians. Tenskwatawa cast the curse on every future President of the United States who was elected in a year ending in zero beginning with then governor William Harrison, who he held personally responsible for his brother’s death. To date, beginning with William Harrison, who was elected President in 1840 after Tenskwatawa cast the curse, seven of the nine Presidents elected in a year ending in zero have died in office. The two exceptions: President Reagan elected in 1980 survived an assassination attempt on his life and President Bush, who was first elected in 2000, completed his tenure. As noted above, it was President Bush who acknowledged the injustices committed by America against Native American Indians as part of America’s 400th year anniversary celebration of the founding of Jamestown, which broke this curse.
Just as one king made atonement for the sins of another king, a president had to make atonement for the sins of previous presidents and lawmakers. David was under the Old Covenant, which was “an eye for an eye” and he responded accordingly. On the other hand, as a Christian, President Bush is under the New Covenant and atonement through the eyes of the New Covenant in this particular situation would be reconciliation – and President Bush responded accordingly.
In the Bible “seven” is symbolic of completion. It was probably for that reason that the Gibeonites requested seven males from Saul’s household and not six or eight. If so, then the seven Presidents that have already died in office as a result of Tenskwatawa’s curse would indicate completion as well. This would also correspond to the timing of President Bush’s acknowledgement of America’s wrongs against the Native America Indians, as one would affect the other.
However, this does not mean that a future president will never die or be assassinated while in office. Future presidents or high-ranking lawmakers may be assassinated because of sins that go back to America’s Spanish roots as such sins remain unconfessed.
I want to point out that it was only when the famine was in its third year that David sought the Lord as to the cause. In other words, the beginning consequences of reaping (judgment) can be subtle, as I believe has been the case in the judgment of America. For example, there were numerous other signs of America reaping from past sins before the actual attack of September 11th or the economic crises. Nonetheless, these signs were ignored and whether it is on a personal level or a national level, all too often mankind tends to look to the natural to explain their circumstances. Because they don’t inquire of the Lord, they try to fight spiritual battles with carnal weapons and carnal solutions. Even today, leaders from around the world, including America, are meeting to find a carnal solution to the global economic crises when they need to humble themselves before the Lord and confess their sins of greed and idolatry.
America’s Sins
Some of America’s sins, such as the enslavement of Africans and our treatment of Native American Indians, are obvious even to the casual observer. However, other sins of our nation that are bringing God’s judgment are not so obvious, and in fact, go back to our founding as a nation. These include the establishment of a new secular religion called “Liberty”, the hypocrisy of our Declaration of Independence, the idolatry of our Constitution and national laws, and our extreme covetousness and greed. At the very core of all these sins are America’s lawgivers
The key to understanding the sin of
America’s founding lawmakers is found with the Sanhedrin during Jesus’ time. As we examine the lawgivers of Jesus day, we
find that of all people, it is the sins of the lawgivers who added to the sins
of their forefathers! And, as we examine
America’s lawgivers we shall see why the sins of our lawgivers here in America,
more than all other people, have added to the sins of our forefathers as
well. The only difference between the
lawmakers in Jesus’ time and our lawmakers today is time. Both rejected God’s purpose for their lives
as lawgivers and both bear witness against themselves.
Teachers of the Law – Transgressing and Nullifying God’s Laws
To begin
with, the teachers of the law, also translated as scribes, lawyers or experts
in the law, were both lawmakers and interpreters of the law. They were one of three groups that made up
Israel’s High Court and administrative body, the Sanhedrin; the other two
groups were the Chief Priests and Elders.
Further, many of these three groups were also Pharisees, one of the two
main religious factions within Israel at the time. Here is what Jesus had to say about the
teachers of the law and the Pharisees:
Matthew
23[27] Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look
beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and
everything unclean. [28] In the same
way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you
are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. [29] Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You build tombs for
the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. [30] And you say, ‘If we had lived in the
days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the
blood of the prophets.’ [31] So you
testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who
murdered the prophets. [32] Fill
up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! (NIV, emphasis added)
Jesus referred to the teachers of the
law as:
·
Snakes and a brood of vipers (Matthew 23:33),
·
Self-righteous, full of hypocrisy and
wickedness (Matthew 23:27-29; 5:20),
·
Mishandling the Divine Law handed down through
Moses (Matthew 23:4) (1Timothy 1:7) and for that reason, Jesus rejected their interpretation
of the Law (Matthew 5:20),
·
Hypocritical legalism – upholding the letter
of the law that kills, but not the spirit of the law that gives life (2
Corinthians 3:6); (Romans 7:14), and
·
More zealous for the “legalistic traditions”
of their forefathers rather than upholding the “Holiness of God’s Divine Law”
handed down through Moses.
Moreover, they took away the key of
knowledge causing the law to become a hindrance to the people (Luke
11:52). They tied up heavy loads and put
them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves were not willing to lift a finger
to move them (Matthew 23:4). At length,
they testified against themselves that they, like their forefathers, killed the
“true prophets” (Matthew 23:31), filling up the measure of the sins of their
forefathers (Matthew 23:32).
Not only did the
teachers of the law transgress God’s law, there were also many instances where
the teachers of the law and Pharisees created their own laws, man-made
traditions, which nullified God’s laws and thereby, caused their brethren to
sin. For example, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees
and teachers of the law using one of their man-made traditions, Corban, as an
example,
Mark
7 [9] “And he said to them: You have a fine way of setting aside the
commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! [10] For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and
your mother,’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to
death.’ [11] But you say, that if a man
says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received
from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), [12] then you no longer
let him do anything for his father or mother.
[13] Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you
have handed down. And you do many things like that.” (NIV, emphasis added)
The establishment of the man-made
tradition of Corban also caused the people to sin (v.12 “then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother”). In other words, if the people kept the
“commandment” of Corban, then they violated God’s law. Sadly, this was not an isolated instance of
nullifying God’s law and causing the people to sin (v.13).
Scripture further reveals that the
experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, meaning they placed
their will above God’s will. In doing,
so they rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah and sought a way to kill Jesus.
Luke 7 [30] But the Pharisees and experts
in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not
been baptized by John. (NIV, emphasis added)
Men of all ages have their
own free will and because of that, men can reject God’s purpose for their
lives. In the context of Luke 7:30, we
know they specifically rejected John’s baptism of repentance, which means they
rejected Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It was God’s will to send His only begotten Son to the world to
reconcile man to Himself. It was also
God’s will that none should perish, but that all mankind would respond to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet rather than
repent, the teachers of the law rejected the very one that came to fulfill the
law of which they supposedly were experts.
While this Scripture is
referring to Salvation, we also know from other Scriptures that the Lord equips
individuals with specific abilities or “gifts” to enable them to serve in
certain capacities. For example, in the
Church,
Ephesians
4 [11] It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to
be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, [12] to prepare God’s
people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (NIV)
Similarly, because the Lord
ordained the civil government, He equips some to be judges, some to be lawgivers
and so on. (Romans 13)
Jesus also compared the
Pharisees and experts in the law that rejected God’s purpose for themselves to
children playing in the streets who were not willing to play with each other.
Luke 7 [30] But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God
against themselves, being not baptized of him.
[31] And the Lord said, “Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this
generation? And to what are they like? [32]
They are like unto children sitting in the
marketplace, and calling one to
another, and saying, We have piped
unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.”
(KJV, emphasis added)
For whatever reason, the
children could not agree or would not agree on what game to play. Interestingly, the games the two groups of
children are suggesting to one another are incompatible. One group of children wants to imitate a
wedding while the other group of children wants to imitate a funeral. One group of children pretends to be
rejoicing while the other group pretends to be in mourning.
Likewise, the fact that our
lawmakers here in America cannot agree on critical legislation is
childish. Like the children in Luke 7:31-32,
their political agendas are incompatible.
The Democrats mourn legislation the Republicans rejoice over and vice
versa, the Republicans mourn legislation over which the Democrats rejoice. Whether it is the Democrats or the
Republicans, neither party genuinely seems to be willing to work together. (see further comments on this and the full
text of President Obama’s address to a joint session of congress in the Epilogue of this paper)
By refusing the baptism of
John, in essence the experts in the law refused to repent. Rather than repent, they continued to
dishonor the Lord by mishandling the very Law that was designed to bring about
the holiness that God desires for all mankind and that they of all people were
called to uphold. Therefore, we want to
examine more closely how the experts in the Law misused the Law to further
their own agenda.
In particular, they
violated the 9th Commandment:
Exodus 20 [16] Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor
In general, the teachers of
the law were enemies of Jesus. They were
among those who set about to entrap and destroy Him through false testimony,
thus violating the 9th Commandment of the very law they were to
uphold in holiness – adding to the sins of their forefathers.
Mark 14 [53] They took Jesus to the high
priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came
together. [55] The chief priests and the
whole
Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could
put Him to death, but they did not find any.
[56] Many testified falsely against Him, but their statements did
not agree. [57] Then some stood up and gave
this false testimony against Him:
[58] “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in
three days will build another, not made by man.’” [59] Yet even then their testimony did not
agree. [60] Then the high priest stood
up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are
bringing against you?” [61] But Jesus
remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked Him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed One?” [62] “I Am,” said
Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of
heaven.” [63] The high priest tore his
clothes. “Why do we need any more
witnesses?” he asked. [64] “You have
heard the blasphemy. What do you
think?” they all condemned Him as worthy
of death. … Mark 15 [1] Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the
leaders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached
a decision. They bound Jesus, led Him
away and handed Him over to Pilate. (NIV, emphasis added)
The sins of their fathers
reached their full measure as a nation when the teachers of the law and the
Pharisees crucified Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 2 [14] For you, brethren, became
imitators of the assemblies (churches) of God in Christ Jesus which are in
Judea, for you too have suffered the same kind of treatment from your own
fellow countrymen as they did [who were persecuted at the hands] of the
Jews. [15] Who killed both the Lord Jesus
and the prophets, and
harassed and drove us out, and continue to make themselves hateful and
offensive to God and to show themselves foes of all men. [16] Forbidding and hindering us from
speaking to the Gentiles (the nations) that they may be saved. So as always they fill up [to the brim the
measure] of their sins. But
God’s wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever]! (Amplified
Bible, emphasis added)
We can
see from the Scriptures that the teachers of the law were law-breakers! They were self-righteous hypocrites, wicked,
unrepentant, and rejected Jesus Christ, God’s Law and God’s purpose for
themselves. Instead, they made their own
laws and caused the people to sin as a result.
Likewise, America’s lawmakers, as we shall see, have also rejected God’s
divine purpose for themselves and they too have rejected the teachings of Jesus
Christ as well as the Ten Commandments as a whole – the Law given by God
through Moses!
The Significance of King James
It is with this understanding that
we approach King James of England – truly one of America’s Founding Fathers. Anyone who has
examined the rule of King James knows that he persecuted Christian
denominations outside of The Church of England; for that, the Pilgrims and
other Protestant denominations rebuked him.
However, to his credit, the King that established the American colonies
also commissioned the translation of the Bible into English that is named after
him: the King James Bible. For that,
King James is to be commended.
However,
one has to ask why King James persecuted his fellow brethren? In answering this question we will have a
better understanding as to why the Church cannot be the civil leader of a
nation.
Scripture
reveals that there are two types of Christians (1Corinthians 3:1-2). While both have their salvation, one is
carnal (or worldly) and the other is spiritual.
This distinction is the reason we have divisions within the church.
The
carnal Christian will persecute the spiritual Christian because he has not
crucified the flesh. Carnal Christians
are like men of the world – they identify more with human standards than the
precepts of Christianity. Carnal
Christians will incorporate traditions of men (that nullify the Word of God)
into the Church. On the other hand, the
spiritual Christian will reject the traditions of man because they nullify the
Word of God (Matthew 15:2-6). The carnal
Christian will apply the principles of human philosophy and worldly wisdom to
the teachings of Christianity – hence the division!
A
Christian cannot discern the teachings of the Lord according to the worldly
standards; that’s why we have Scripture.
Carnal Christians reason things out according to their flesh, not
according to the Spirit, and you cannot fight spiritual battles with carnal
weapons. As Paul pointed out to the
Corinthians,
1 Corinthians 3
[3] You are
still worldly. For since there is
jealously and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? [4] For when one says, ‘I follow Paul’ and
another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere men?” (NIV)
Herein
was King James error! Instead of
allowing Christians to worship within their own denomination, they were
persecuted if they did not follow the doctrine of the Church of England.
King James did not understand that the various Christian Protestant
denominations did not reject God’s Word as being authoritative nor did they
reject King James as a civil leader, they only rejected the traditions of man
that the Church of England
embraced that nullified the Word of God.
King James failed to understand that the Pilgrims, French Huguenots,
Calvinists and other Protestant denominations were his “co-workers” in
spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Some Christians, like Apollos,
have a zeal for the Lord, yet have some limitations in their
understanding. Once this understanding
is supplied, in this case by Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos was even more
effective in his evangelism (Acts 18:25-28).
However, other Christians have a zeal for the Lord, just as Apollos, but
their zeal is not based upon knowledge of the Lord, but on their own
understanding and human traditions, such as was the case with the Israelites in
Jesus’ time (Romans 10:2-3). In this
latter instance, they establish their own righteousness rather than the
righteousness that comes from God.
Obviously,
there are many reasons as to why the Church is not called to be the civil
leaders of a nation, most notably, the
divisions within the Church – the brethren persecuting the brethren. The varying denominations that exist today
are the result of the strife and disagreements within the Church. Scripture reveals that a house divided cannot
stand!
Therefore,
who would even decide which denomination or Christian group would lead a
secular nation? The carnal Christian who
embraces the secular things of the world?
The spirit-filled Christian who opposes and rejects the secular things
of the world that nullify the Word of God?
The Christian who has a zeal for the Lord, yet doesn’t have the full
knowledge of the Gospel and for that reason misrepresents Jesus Christ to the
world? Those who say they are Christians
– but are not? Obviously, only Jesus
Christ can establish His Kingdom!
Even
though a civil government is not called to be spiritual leaders of the Church,
all governments, even one who establishes a state religion of Christianity, is
still ordained by the Lord. Yet,
Scripture interprets Scripture.
Scripture reveals that we are not to submit to laws that would lead us
to sin or rebel against God (Acts 4:17-19).
One cannot obey man, even when that man is a civil leader and brethren,
when it is contrary to the command and will of God.
The Protestants verses our Founding Fathers: The Protestant colonists who came to America did not reject God’s Word as being authoritative, nor did they reject King James as their King – they only rejected the human traditions of man that nullified the Word of God which the Church of England embraced. On the other hand, America’s Founding Fathers knowingly rebelled against God’s established government that they were under during the Revolutionary War. They knowingly rejected the Word of God as being authoritative and knowingly elevated the pagan gods of antiquity.
America’s Sin – Replacing Christianity with
New Religions
From
the time of our founding as a nation to the present day, there has been a
relentless assault on Christianity in America.
The most vicious attacks have not come from without, but from within the
Government at the highest level of our lawmakers. It started with our Founding Fathers
establishing a new secular religion called Liberty to “free” us as a nation
from Christianity. At the same time,
national leaders and lawmakers set the stage for combining other religious
views and gods into Christianity – synchronistic religion and synchronistic
worship – and not only tolerated, but elevated Islam to the same level as
Christianity. We see examples of this
latter element concerning Islam with President Obama.
Liberty – Our New Secular Religion
Liberty was America’s new secular religion and the Capitol was her
Temple. When America’s Founding Fathers
established Liberty as their new secular religion, they were seeking to be
liberated from Christianity. (For a more
detailed discussion of this, see the article: Liberty: America’s New Secular Religion and New Secular Law)
One of the roots of America’s sins is that they chose “Liberty” as their
new secular religion over the precepts of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Pamela Scott describes the religious aspects
of our Capitol serving as a temple for a new religion in America:
“To plan a dome as the Capitol’s central
element implied that the building was
to serve a quasi-religious function – indeed to be a civic temple. … During the American Revolution, several
actual or metaphorical secular ‘temples’ had been invented, designated, or
erected, each extolling some aspect of the young country’s purpose and history
or the conduct of American patriots. The
surrender of British troops at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19/20, 1781, took
place on the surrender field near
Washington’s tent, which was called the ‘temple of Glory’. These
temple-like structures were deemed appropriate because liberty was a new secular religion in Revolutionary America. On September 11, 1787, jurist and signer of
the Declaration of Independence James Wilson, in an address before the
Pennsylvania legislature, prophesied that the new federal government would ‘lay a foundation for erecting temples of
liberty in every part of the earth.”[4] (emphasis added)
The Capitol was lady Liberty’s Temple:
“Latrobe may have intended this figure to synthesize several allegorical concepts key to the Capitol’s iconography, an updated and Hellenized version of Giuseppe Ceracchi’s Minerva as the Patroness of American Liberty, which had been executed in 1792 for Philadelphia’s Congress Hall. This interpretation strengthens his vision of the Capitol as a synthesis of Roman and Greek political and artistic principles. Athena had been the mythical founder of Athens; her temple had been the Parthenon. ‘Liberty’ had founded the United States as well as the city of Washington; her temple was the Capitol. ” [5] (emphasis added)
We can see that the concept that the Capitol was to
function as a secular temple was not new.
Rather, it was a continuation of the ideology behind the “secular
temples” erected during the Revolutionary War, “each extolling some aspect
of the young country’s purpose and history or the conduct of American patriots”. As described in the above quote, during the
Revolutionary War, George Washington’s tent had been elevated to the status of
the “Temple of Glory”.
The Capitol building was also meant to exemplify another
aspect of America’s ideology: liberty.
It was to be a witness to America and the rest of the world that
America’s goal was to, “lay a foundation for erecting temples of liberty in
every part of the earth”.
It is significant that Wilson prophesied to the
Pennsylvania legislature on the same day and month that the terrorists attacked
America. Interestingly, America’s
attackers were “Arabs” who claimed they attacked America because America
meddled in the affairs of other nations – the very thing that Wilson had prophesied.
Synchronistic Worship and Synchronistic
Religion
President
Bush’s beliefs, like many Americans, are synchronistic in nature. Synchronistic
worship refers to people who have opposing beliefs concerning salvation and
eternal life, yet who justify worshipping together because they share many of
the same moral beliefs. This belief
clearly violates the First Commandment, which requires exclusive worship of the
Lord. To worship the Lord exclusively
distinguishes us from the pagan nations who do not recognize Jesus Christ as
the Son of God who is the way and the only way to the Father! To worship alongside those who do not believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is to worship alongside those who do not
know the Father and are paying homage to a pagan god. 2 Kings 17 describes such a situation. Not surprisingly, synchronistic worship was one
of the primary reasons for God’s judgment of Israel and Judah.
President
Bush is not the first President to embrace synchronistic forms of worship. As a Freemason, George Washington embraced all
religions, including Islam.
Interestingly, George Washington’s fish, explained in detail later, also
spiritually links America to the Philistines and their fish god, Dagon. The ancient Philistines also attempted to
combine the worship of Yahweh alongside Dagon.
After the Philistines captured the ark of the God, they placed it in
Dagon’s temple. To their chagrin, Dagon
was toppled once, reset, then toppled again and broken in pieces. (1Samuel
5-6) They very quickly found out that
Yahweh would not share His glory with a pagan deity.
Interestingly,
modern day Gaza is one of the five cities of the ancient Philistines and it is
well known that President Clinton was instrumental in Israel’s decision to
surrender the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians.
This was a decision that cost Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, his
life and a decision that Israel deeply regrets.
To this day, our political leaders continue to support the Palestinians
control of the Gaza Strip and continue to pressure Israel to give up more of
the land that God gave to them to the Palestinians.
Dagon,
represents many things; however, the influence of this spirit in America can be
witnessed in our political leader’s willingness to encourage Americans to
combine their worship of the Lord with that of a pagan religion – all to be
politically correct. Like the spiritual
offspring of the Philistines who continue to live in the ancient city of Gaza,
the official religion in modern day Gaza is Islam.
Going
back to our French roots that the Huguenots laid down in 1565, it’s worthy to
note that when the Huguenots came to what is now known as America, they brought
with them “Moors”, men of African descent who were followers of the Muslim
faith. They were free men, not slaves,
and they were the first Africans to set foot on our soil. Unlike some of America’s future leaders, the
French Huguenot’s governor did not compromise their Christianity for men of
other faiths as they called the Moors into accountability when it endangered
the well-being of their colony.
America’s new secular religion meant that Americans were at liberty to
practice whatever religion they wanted to and that Christianity would no longer
be the “official state religion” as it was before the American Revolution. For that reason the Constitution states that
no lawmaker would be required to take a religious test to serve in that
capacity, as required before the American Revolution. In other words, those Americans who were not
Christians could now serve as lawmakers because they had been liberated from
the official state religion of Christianity.
(See article titled: Liberty: America’s New Secular Religion and New Secular Law)
Romans 13 reveals that civil governments have been established by the Lord and we are to submit to the civil governments
just as Jesus Christ and Paul did. Jesus
paid taxes to Caesar and he submitted to Pilate and Herod as well. Neither they nor Caesar’s court that Paul
stood before were believers: quite the contrary, they were all unbelievers.
Obviously, these civil governments did not provide the same spiritual
leadership as that of Moses, the Judges or the Kings of Israel. That the civil government is made up of
unbelievers is further confirmed in 1 Corinthians 6 regarding lawsuits before
unbelievers.
1Corinthians 6 [6] But brother goes to law against brother, and
that before [Gentile judges who are] unbelievers [without faith or trust in the
Gospel of Christ]? (Amplified Bible)
In other words, lawmakers, whether they are Senators, Congressmen or
the President of the United States, are not called to be spiritual leaders for
the Church. They are called to be civil
leaders of a civil government. However,
while they are not called to be spiritual leaders, they are called to be
“moral” leaders.
Until Jesus Christ returns to establish His Kingdom we are required to
submit to a civil government. Many
Christians believe that Christians should hold public office so they can pass
laws that further their Christian beliefs.
Even if that were true, given the many different Christian denominations
and doctrines within the Christian community, how would Christians even decide
what Christian denomination or so-called Christian denomination would represent
all of Christianity?
Would it be the doctrine taught by the Baptists? The Methodists? The Episcopalians? The Roman Catholics? The Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses? Even though all those denominations teach
Jesus, not all the denominations agree on who Jesus is. For example, most Christian denominations
believe that Mormons and Jehovah Witness are nothing more than cults because
they teach a different Jesus than the Bible does (and I would agree). On the other hand, Mormons and Jehovah
Witness believe that anyone outside their denomination does not have their salvation. Again, my question is this – how would
Christians even decide what Christian or so-called Christian denomination
should be the civil leaders?
Actually, the answer is found in the Constitution. Article II, Section 1 and Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution requires the President, Senators and Congressmen to take an
oath of office or affirmation to uphold the Constitution. Moreover, the First Amendment to the
Constitution reads:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people
peaceable to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.”
The clear implication of the First Amendment concerning religion is
that all lawmakers, by the oath of their office, are not to show favoritism of
one religion over another.
Interestingly, because he was a professing Christian, evangelicals
helped to elect President Bush believing that he would promote and pass laws
that would favor Christianity. Instead,
President Bush remained loyal to the oath of office that he took to uphold the
Constitution. In support of the First
Amendment to the Constitution, President Bush repeatedly made it clear that he
supported and promoted toleration of all religions, not just Christianity.
In November 2008, President Bush attended a United Nations Faith Forum
along with people of other faiths, including representatives of Islam, to
promote religious toleration of all faiths.
As reported by The Washington Post, President Bush was quoted:
“‘One
of my core beliefs is that there is an almighty God, and that every man, woman
and child on the face of this Earth bears his image,’ Bush said. ‘…I know many of the leaders gathered in this
assembly have been influenced by faith as well.
We may profess different creeds and worship in different places, but our
faith leads us to common values.’ …The
president also emphasized that democratic systems are best suited to encourage
tolerance among different faiths. ‘We
strongly encourage nations to understand that religious freedom is the
foundation of a healthy and hopeful society,’ he said.” [6]
The United Nations Faith Forum is only one of many occasions where
President Bush took the opportunity to demonstrate his tolerance of other
faiths. President Bush attended the
Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in 2007 honoring the Dalai Lama, a man who
believes he is a god incarnate.
President Bush escorted the Dalai Lama to the Capitol and joined in
presenting the nation’s top civilian honor to him, referring to him as “His
Holiness”. Just prior to the
presentation, President Bush said,
“‘I admire the Dalai Lama a lot … I support
religious freedom,’ Bush said in a short-notice press conference at the White
House. … ‘I have consistently told the
Chinese that religious freedom is in their nation’s interest. I’ve also told them that I think it’s in
their interest to meet with the Dalai Lama and will say so at the ceremony
today in Congress,’ Bush said.”[7]
When Christians honor the Dalai Lama as “His Holiness”, elevate
religions that do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that
the only way to the Father is through the son, then they are misrepresenting
Jesus Christ, the Gospel and Christianity.
Again, synchronistic worship
allows the evil spirit operating behind Dagon, a pagan fish god, legal access
to operate within the gates of America.
Christians are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the Constitution requires
that all civil lawmakers be ambassadors for all religions. A Christian cannot be both – he needs to
choose who he will be an ambassador for:
Jesus Christ or all other faiths.
To be an ambassador for all religions is to misrepresent Jesus Christ,
the Gospel and Christianity.
Even though they are not called to be spiritual leaders, civil leaders
are still accountable to the Lord. According to Romans 2:9-16, the law is
written on everyone’s heart which means that everyone is capable of keeping or
making moral laws whether or not they are a Believer. Obviously, keeping the law or the ability to
live a moral life does not mean that someone has their salvation – even the
most moral individual has to be born again to be saved. It simply means that the unbeliever has the
ability to choose right from wrong and a desire to live in an environment that
is safe for their families as much as a Believer does, otherwise there would be
total chaos in the world.
Whether the government was under the spiritual leadership of Moses, the
Judges that governed Israel, the Kings of Israel, the Kings of pagan nations or
the civil governments as we know them today – all governments are accountable
to the Lord. As such, all nations will
reap from the sins of their leaders as well as their own sins.
When a civil government exalts created things above the Lord who
ordained their civil governments, then that government is treading on dangerous
ground, just as the Israelites were treading on dangerous ground when Aaron
made the golden calf as the god that brought them out of Egypt.
Acts
7 [40] Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this
Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of
him. [41] And they made a calf in those
days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their
own hands. [42] Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of
heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel,
have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years
in the wilderness? [43] Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star
of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry
you away beyond Babylon.
Sadly, America’s civil leaders have defied men from among their own
ranks, and like the Israelites in Acts 7:41, they too have “rejoiced in the
works of their own hands”. Moreover,
Americans continue to exalt those leaders like George Washington who have been
deified.
The Lord will not share His glory with anyone! Civil leaders are not to exalt pagan deities nor deify their leaders as gods. The focal point of the United States Capitol, which is located in the eye of the Rotunda, is The Apotheosis of Washington, a mural that portrays Washington as a god with a goddess on either side as well as thirteen spiritual maidens surrounding him.
The Rise of Islam
Long before Muhammad and
the Koran were memorialized in stone at the United States Supreme Court
Building (as described further below), America’s Founding Fathers expressed
their admiration of Islam. Therefore, I
would like to explore past and present relationships between America’s
lawmakers, specifically President Obama, and Islam as one has a bearing on the
other. In fact, spiritually we can
understand current events as they pertain to President Obama and the recent
speeches he delivered in Turkey and Egypt.
To begin with, it’s
important to explore America’s African roots going all the way back to 1564
when the French Huguenots successfully established a colony in what is now
known as America, only to be murdered by the Spanish Conquistadors one year
later. As background information, I
would suggest reading “The Spiritual Roots of America” on
our website.
African Roots in America:
It is significant to note that when the Huguenots came to
America they brought free black men with
them. They were identified as Moors,[8] meaning Muslims of African
descent, thus establishing a spiritual basis of racial freedom and equality in
the land. More than likely, Rene de Laudonniere, the founder of Ft. Caroline, met
the Moors that came to America with him while he was in Morocco. Interestingly, the first Muslim nation to
sign a peace treaty with America was Morocco in 1786.
The Spanish saw these free black men as a threat
and an infringement on their slave trade in nearby Cuba. When the Spanish murdered the Huguenots, they
invoked the principality “Santiago, the Moor Slayer” to come to their aid in the battle.
With their war cries of “Santiago,
Santiago”,[9] they also massacred the
Moors who came to America with the Huguenots.
When the Spanish invoked the principality, Santiago,
new gods came to the gates of Fort Caroline and America and subsequently, war
ensued. This can be understood in the
context of Judges 5:8 and Daniel 10:13:
Judges 5 [8] They chose new gods; then was war in the gates:
was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
Daniel 10 [13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood
me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to
help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
These Scriptures, among others, clearly reveal that
warring geographical principalities exist and are very much involved in the
activities of mankind, operating behind those who allow it. Ephesians 6 even warns us that our battle is
in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).
It was at this same time (the martyrdom of the
Huguenots) in America’s history that the roots of slavery were established by
the Spanish Conquistadors. The Spanish
had brought 500 or so African slaves on broad with them to America, and it was
these 500 slaves that the Spanish used to build St. Augustine, the first Spanish mission in
America. [10]
Thus began slavery and slave labor in America.
Not only is it significant that the first Africans to set foot in
America were free men, it is also significant that they were identified as
“Moors”. Moor was a derogatory term used
by the Spanish to describe the Muslims of African descent who had invaded their
country in previous centuries.
It should also be noted that the Moors that came to America with the
Huguenots were not believers as the Huguenots referred to them as “infidels”.[11] Similar to the “mixed multitude” accompanying
Moses to the Promised Land in the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:37, Numbers
11:4), these infidels, as well as agnostics, and prisoners, accompanied the
Huguenots to the New World.
Exodus 12 [37] And the children of Israel journeyed from
Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men,
beside children. [38] And a mixed multitude went up also with
them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. (emphasis added)
Numbers 11 [4] And the mixed multitude that was among
them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who
shall give us flesh to eat? [5] We remember the fish, which we did eat
in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions,
and the garlic:
Those who settled in new lands did not always have a choice of who came
with them. Oftentimes, to receive
funding for their voyage and new colonies they were required to bring along
with them others that a country may have wanted to rid themselves – hence, the
mixed multitude. Just as the mixed
multitude was a snare to Israel, the Moors proved to be extremely problematic
for the Huguenots. However, the
Huguenots never compromised their beliefs for the Moors, rather, Laudonniere,
governor at Ft. Caroline, called them into accountability for their sins
according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Barak Hussein Obama
At one time, the term, Moor, identified anyone of dark complexion who
was Muslim from North Africa or specifically, those from Morocco. Over time, the term, Moor, included all
Muslims of African heritage, regardless of their country of origin. With the understanding that the first
Africans to arrive in America were also Muslims, then President Barrack Obama’s
ancestry immediately becomes noteworthy!
Whose son are you, young man? Scripture reveals that the sins
of the fathers go down three and four generations. We also know that the genealogy of someone
was extremely important to the Israelites.
For example, after David killed Goliath – King Saul asked David “whose son are you, young man?”
1 Samuel 17 [55] And when Saul saw David go forth
against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner,
whose son is this youth? And Abner said,
As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. [56]
And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. [57] And as David returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with
the head of the Philistine in his hand. [58]
And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man?
And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
(emphasis added)
It seems that David’s courage and character, spiritually as well as physically,
in some way was a reflection of his father.
Thus, the ancestry of President Obama’s forefathers cannot be ignored –
they are part of his spiritual DNA as well as his DNA in the natural and are
part of his identity.
That the character of Jesse was reflected in his son David should speak
to all Christian fathers.
Who were his Fathers? Even though Barrack Obama was born in America,
his father and grandfather were citizens of Kenya and African Muslims. His stepfather was Muslim as well and for a
period of his life, Barrack Obama was raised in a Muslim country. Even though Barrack Obama is a confessing
Christian, he was raised with an appreciation of the faith of his ancestry – Islam. When addressing Turkey’s Grand National
Assembly in April of 2009, he reached out to Muslims saying:
“…So let me say this as clearly
as I can: The United States is not, and
will never be, at war with Islam. … We will convey our deep appreciation
for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the
world – including in my own country. The
United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many
other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a
Muslim-majority country -- I know, because I am one of them.”[12] (emphasis added)
Moreover, in a joint press availability session with President Gul of
Turkey, President Obama stated,
“… although as I mentioned, we
have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a
Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a
nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.”[13]
Many Americans were appalled that President Obama even dared to indicate
that America was not a Christian nation – as though he was the first President
to make such a bold claim. In fact,
President Obama was only echoing the beliefs of many of America’s Founding
Fathers.
As
mentioned earlier, Morocco was the first Arab nation to recognize America as a
nation, a detail not lost to President Obama.
He referred to this fact in his address to the Arab nations when
speaking from Cairo:
“I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story. The first nation to recognize my country was
Morocco. In signing the Treaty of
Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, ‘The United States
has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility
of Muslims.’”[14]
President
Obama was quoting from Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli (the official name
of this treaty was the Treaty of Peace
and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of
Tripoli of Barbary). The treaty was
actually comprised of individual treaties, the first signed with Morocco in
1786. Collectively, these treaties were
also known as the “Barbary Treaties” or the “Treaty of Tripoli”. As a whole, the Treaty of Tripoli was signed
in 1796-97, ratified by Congress and then signed into law by President John
Adams in 1797 – eleven years after the individual treaty was signed with
Morocco. Article 11 of this treaty
reads:
“As the government of the United
States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as
it
has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility
of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or
act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties
that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an
interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”[15] (emphasis added)
Article 11 confirms that America’s second President as well
as the sitting Congress who ratified the Treaty of Tripoli, like Obama, did not
consider America to be a Christian nation.
And like President Obama, they were certainly not offended by Islam nor
did they want to offend the Arab nations concerning their practice of their
religion.
President Obama’s appreciation of Islam and his own Muslim
ancestry is also echoed in a subsequent speech delivered in Cairo, Egypt on
June 4, 2009. The text of this speech,
in its entirety, is included in the Appendix and bears witness that Barrack
Obama’s character – spiritually as well as physically – is truly a reflection of
his Muslim forefathers. In this speech
he said,
“There must be a
sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect
one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran
tells us, ‘Be conscious of God and speak always the truth."
(Applause.) That is what I will try to do today -- to speak the truth as
best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the
interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that
drive us apart.
Now part of this
conviction is rooted in my own experience.
I'm a Christian, but my father
came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a
boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the
break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago
communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.
As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam -- at places like Al-Azhar -- that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities -- (applause) -- it was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality. (Applause.)”[16] (emphasis has been added)
In the same speech, President Obama points out that America’s presence in the Middle East conflicts are because of the terrorist who he believes to be a threat to America – not because of their religion. In essence, President Obama was saying that America is not at war with Islam’s god, we are at war with your nation’s terrorists.
Obviously, the Muslim influence is there. The Muslim name, Barack Hussein Obama, speaks for itself. This too is a Biblical principal as names often defined a characteristic or the nature of a person.
It is important to understand that the spiritual offspring
of the Spanish who attacked Ft. Caroline and killed the Moors and the French
Huguenots, both of whom the Spanish hated, would spiritually perceive
Barrack Obama as a Moor. They would also
view him as a heretic in much the same way as their ancestors viewed the French
Huguenots as heretics. Even though the
French Huguenots, like Barrack Obama, confessed to be Christians, the Spanish
considered them heretics nonetheless because they would not come under the
authority of the Roman Catholic Pope. Of
course, neither does Barrack Obama.
Like the first black men to arrive in America, Barrack
Obama comes from a line of free men, whereas his wife is an offspring of slavery. In this sense, they are both making history
in America. Like the first Africans to
arrive in America, it can be said that Barrack Hussein Obama, like his father
and grandfathers, is a Muslim of African descent and that he too is a
Moor. At least, he will be perceived as
such by the spiritual offspring of the Spanish Conquistadors and the Knights of
Santiago, as well as many other Americans!
Ambassador for Islam: In his speech
given in Cairo Egypt and heard throughout the world, President Obama’s remarks
bear witness against him, that like his forefathers,
he too is an “Ambassador for Islam”.
Many Arabs took note that President Obama presented himself as a Teacher
of the Muslim Religion even comparing him to Muslim religious leaders. Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s
sins to the brim so that nothing may be wanting to a full measure:
Islam was at the very core of his address. Even though he mentioned Jesus and Moses, it
was only in passing. Rather, at times it
seemed that President Obama was proselytizing for Islam. His comments seemed to indicate that Islam
could solve all of the world’s problems.
This was not missed by Muslim world leaders. In his first interview following President
Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egyptian President Mubarak shared his perception of
President Obama’s personal views of Islam as reported by Reuters and the Associated Press (emphasis has been
added to both below quotes):
“He [President Obama] is a
sympathetic man, and says the United States will not fight Islam because Islam is a heavenly
religion”,[17] and
“Obama ‘sympathizes and says Islam
is a heavenly religion like other religions’ … ‘President Obama is
someone who differs from the other presidents of the United States,’ said Mubarak.”[18]
Jesus said “Woe to the teachers of the law and Pharisees”
who sat in Moses’ seat of authority and who traveled over sea and land to
proselytize according to their own beliefs, but not according to God’s will:
Matthew 23 [15] Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single
convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as
you are. (NIV)
Ambassador for Christ: As Christians, we
are called to be Ambassadors for Christ.
As a professing Christian, one would expect President Obama to choose to
win converts for Jesus who alone can save.
Yet, rather than referring to those Scriptures of the Old Testament and
the New Testament that testified of Jesus as the Messiah, President Obama
quoted from the Koran. President Obama
presented Jesus Christ as nothing more than an equal, if that, of Islam’s
Prophet Muhammad, thus diminishing the very heart of Christianity.
Instead, President Obama should have pointed to the
Scriptures that reveal that the Mohammedans, who look to Ishmael as their
spiritual father, are only the natural offspring of Abraham, not the spiritual
offspring of Abraham, because Ishmael was the son of Abraham’s flesh. On the other hand, Christians look to Abraham
as their spiritual father because, like Isaac, we are the children of the
promise, and for that reason, we are the true spiritual offspring of Abraham.
(Galatians 4:21-30).
Furthermore, President Obama should have pointed to the
Scriptures that reveal that the spiritual offspring of Ishmael will never share
in the promise of the spiritual offspring of Isaac (Galatians 4:30). For that reason the spiritual offspring of
Ishmael, including those who practice Islam, will always “spiritually”
persecute the children of promise (Galatians 4:28-29).
More to the point, once President Obama stepped into the
“Seat of Moses”, he should have pointed to the Scriptures that reveal that
Islam and Christianity are incompatible.
When Barrack Obama, a teacher of the civil law, wrongly took it upon
himself to sit in Moses’ “Seat of Authority” presenting himself as a Teacher of
the Law and a Teacher of Islam, he misrepresented the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Thus, he too is accountable for
traveling over sea and land to proselytize according to his own beliefs rather
than according to God’s will. (Matt 23:15)
Notice the differences between the beliefs of America’s
first and highest-ranking government official, Governor Laudonniere, and
today’s equivalent, President Obama concerning Islam. When the spiritual roots of America were
laid down, Moors were considered “Infidels”, not “Brethren. In other words, the Huguenots were
Ambassadors for Jesus Christ, but Obama is an Ambassador for Islam.
It’s obvious that the Islamic beast in America that we are beginning to
become more and more aware of, even though it was not apparent nor embraced by
our parent’s generation, was sanctioned by our forefathers.
Revelation 17 [8] The
beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless
pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder,
whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the
world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Civil Leaders are Ordained by God
Like all civil leaders, Barrack Obama is ordained of the Lord (Romans 13). Moreover, it was in God’s timing and for His
specific purposes that Barrack Hussein Obama was elected President of the United
States.
Today’s civil leaders, just like Pilate who gave the order
to crucify Jesus, are conscious of the power and authority they wield. However, like Pilate, they don’t understand
that their earthly authority and power is given by God and they can abuse that
power (Romans 13) (John 19:10-11).
Obviously, God can and does use the civil leaders He
ordains to carry out His righteous purposes, even though they are not righteous
themselves. For example, God gave Pilate
the power and authority to crucify Jesus in order that the words Jesus spoke
concerning the kind of death He was to die would be fulfilled. (John
18:32) Like righteous King David, who
served God’s purpose in his own generation (Acts 13:36), today’s leaders also
have a purpose in their own generation.
Even though King David was a righteous man whose heart was after God,
God’s sovereign will does not depend on the righteousness of man, as was the
case with Pilate.
Interestingly, Pilate realized that Jesus was an innocent
man and not wanting to become involved with their religious matters, Pilate
encouraged the Sanhedrin, the Jews High Court, to judge Jesus according to the
Jewish law. Instead, the Sanhedrin not
only lied when they said that it was unlawful for them to put any man to death,[19] they
also manipulated Pilate by threatening to go to Caesar with charges of high
treason against Pilate himself (John 19:12).
Even today, we find religious leaders who turn religious battles into
political battles – and vice versa – for their own selfish reasons.
John 19:11 reveals that even though Pilate was guilty of
sin, the Sanhedrin was guilty of a greater sin.
There are several reasons why one was more guilty than the other, but
the one I want to emphasize is that Pilate was given an authority that the
Sanhedrin was not. Furthermore, Pilate
never presented himself as an “expert of the law” in religious matters as they
pertained to the Jewish law, whereas the Sanhedrin did. Similarly, when a civil leader like President
Obama goes outside his boundaries as a civil leader and takes it upon himself
to sit in the “Seat of Moses”, yet misrepresents God’s righteous laws as he did
in his address to the Arabs in Cairo, Egypt, then he is guilty of the greater
sin, just as in the case of the Sanhedrin.
As can be seen from the short discussion above about
President Obama and his Moorish ancestry, the spiritual seeds that were sown in
America by the Huguenots and their martyrdom by the Spanish are prologue to
current events in America. What seems
incomprehensible in the natural realm, such as our economic meltdown in 2008 or
an African American elected as president of the United States, becomes clear as
the spiritual dimensions of our history are revealed and understood. The spiritual truths of our past are also
prologue to our future, such as the coming persecution of spiritual Christians
by carnal Christians and the State.
The spiritual significance of God’s timing and purposes for
Barrack Obama, and the spiritual significance of the Moors and the Moor Slayers
in America are further explored in other articles on our website.
President Bush and Islam
Journalist Bill Broadway’s article in The Washington Post,
“God’s Place on the Dais; Use of ‘Jesus’ in Inaugural Prayers Breeds Some
Worry”, is a critique of the prayers given at
President Bush’s first inaugural address in 2001. Broadway stated,
“President Bush made history by
being the first president to use the word ‘mosque’ in an inaugural address. … Hutson and others
say Bush
is the first president to refer to Islam in an inaugural speech. … [Bush
said] ‘Church and charity, synagogue and mosque lend our communities their
humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and in our laws.’”[20] (emphasis added)
The article further confirms that present day Americans continue to
echo the ideology of our Founding Fathers and secular religion. Moreover, President Bush made history by
including “mosque” in his inaugural address. Ironically, it was in September of
the same year that those who worshiped in mosques attacked America.
Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim so that
nothing may be wanting to a full measure: When President Bush included
“mosque” in his inaugural address of 2001 he added to the sins of America’s
forefathers who had already spiritually linked America to ancient Nineveh.
In the same article on Bush’s first
inaugural address, Broadway quoted two pastors: Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell,
President Bush’s personal pastor, and Rev. Barry Lynn, a United Church of
Christ minister and executive director of Americans United for the Separation
of Church and State. Rev. Caldwell was
quoted as saying,
“… in an interview this week from
his office in Houston, said it was not his ‘intent or desire to exclude or
offend anyone’ and apologized if he had done so. ‘I was invited by a Christian to offer a
prayer,’ he said. ‘And as a Christian
who revels in the right to express his religious freedom, I chose to pray in
that name I always pray in. ‘If I had to
do it over again, I probably would not say, ‘All who agree, say Amen,’” he
said. ‘Additionally, I probably would
not say ‘Jesus, the name that’s above all other names.’ That truly could be interpreted as
inflammatory or offensive.’”[21] (emphasis added)
In response to Rev. Caldwell’s (and Rev. Graham’s) prayers,
Rev. Lynn,
“… called the inaugural prayers ‘inappropriate
and insensitive.’ He noted that
[Rev. Franklin] Graham’s invocation also asked God to give the president and
his advisers ‘the courage to say no to all that is contrary to Your statues and
holy law.’ Graham was thereby placing God’s
law above the country’s, Lynn said. ‘In
a secular society, that is wrong’.”[22] (emphasis added)
It is bewildering that President Bush, a professing
Christian, placed Islam alongside Christianity.
However, it is incomprehensible that a so-called Christian pastor such
as Rev. Lynn, echoed the words spoken in 1833 by Rufus Choate who believed that
the U.S. Constitution should be placed above the authoritative Word of God
(Choate’s quotation is explained in more detail later). It is equally incomprehensible that President
Bush’s pastor apologized if he had offended anyone by mentioning the Name of Jesus
at the inauguration!
The above article describes attitudes that one would expect
from a civil government. Even in
Biblical times when one pagan nation captured another nation, they generally
let those they conquered keep their gods and religion. America, of course, is a nation of
immigrants.
However, what I find shocking is that two pastors would bow
their knee to secular religion when we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus
Christ. We need not apologize to those
who are offended at the Name of Jesus, the Name above all other names, because
one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord. Blessed is he who does not take
offense:
Matthew 11[6] And blessed (happy, fortunate, and to
be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in
or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth. (Amplified Bible)
Christian pastors who:
1) acknowledge the secular religion of our
forefathers or
2) believe that Christians in government should
be sensitive to those who find the Name of Jesus offensive to the point that
they shouldn’t even mention the Name of Jesus or
3) find it offensive that a Christian President
should be encouraged to uphold the Word of God over the Constitution,
misrepresent the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the
brim so that nothing may be wanting to a full measure: So,
as always they fill up to the brim the measure of their father’s sins. Pastors who misrepresent Jesus Christ and the
Gospel have added to America’s guilt.
Just as the nation of Israel reaped before and after the
death of their leaders, America is also reaping as a nation. We are reaping from the sins of our
forefathers as well as from the sins of our present-day leaders who have
continued to walk in the same rebellious ways and sins of past leaders, like
Rufus Choate, who placed the Constitution above the authoritative Word of
God.
Those who reject the perfect law of liberty and reject
Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone do so in part because they find accountability
offensive. They cannot begin to accept
the concept of a nation reaping and sowing unless it applies to a nation they
consider their adversary. Nonetheless,
our generation has added to the sins of our Founding Fathers, filling them up
to the brim, and for that reason, America is being judged.
America’s Sin – The Hypocrisy of our Christian Lawgivers
Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim so that
nothing may be wanting to a full measure:
The
hypocrisy of today’s Christian lawgivers is adding to America’s guilt and this
particular transgression is a key cause as to why the sins of our forefather’s
are filling to the brim.
Many, like Barrack Obama, for reasons of their own, have stepped into the “Seat of Moses” and in doing so, have brought reproach to the Gospel because “they do not practice what they preach”. In speaking to the experts of the law Jesus said:
Mark 7 [6] He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. (emphasis added)
As the sins of our Christian lawmaker’s are becoming more and more publicly exposed, their hypocrisy is more and more apparent. For example, the latest two lawmakers to be exposed were Senator John Ensign of Nevada and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Both politicians made personal morality a measuring stick for elected public officials and demanded the resignation of politicians who were caught in infidelity because it violated the sanctity of marriage as taught by the Bible. However, they themselves were following the lust of their flesh and both were caught committing adultery. Yet, both have refused to resign.
Their immorality and hypocrisy brings “the way of truth into disrepute”. As Peter prophesied:
2 Peter 2 [2] And many will follow their immoral ways and lascivious doings; because of them the true Way will be maligned and defamed. (Amplified Bible)
Had Ensign and Sanford not professed Christianity or had they practiced what they preached, the Gospel would not have suffered reproach. However, because of their actions many unbelievers are now speaking evil of Christianity.
After the wife and staff of South Carolina’s governor could not explain the whereabouts of Governor Sanford, the news media was determined to uncover the details of his mysterious disappearance. In response to the media, an unidentified individual informed them that Governor Sanford would be on a flight from Argentina arriving at the Atlanta airport. It was much to his surprise at the Atlanta airport that Governor Mark Sanford, a professing Christian was confronted by a news reporter upon his return from a liaison with his mistress who lives in Argentina. Later the same day in a news conference Governor Sanford admitted to having an affair.
When President Clinton went through impeachment proceedings over his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, like Senator Ensign, then Senator Mark Sanford called for Clinton’s resignation. Now politicians and others are calling for Sanford’s resignation as Governor because of his hypocrisy of being “holier than thou” and for his potential misuse of his office.
Interestingly, some who were standing directly behind Sanford as he addressed the television media during his press conference were “smirking” as Sanford spoke of attending prayer meetings, “God’s Law” and “Moral Absolutes”. Actions speak louder than words, and needless to say, Sanford’s actions brought “the way of truth into disrepute” (Mark 7:6) as the media is having a field day in pointing to his hypocrisy. To add fuel to the fire, correspondence between Governor Sanford and his mistress was anonymously sent to the news media.
It’s understandable why Jesus rebuked the experts in the law because they did not practice what they preached! However, we need to keep in mind that while we are not to imitate their actions, Jesus commanded that we are to practice what they taught. Obviously, their teachings would have to be in agreement with the precepts of God’s Word.
Matthew 23 [3] So observe and practice all they tell you; but do not do what they do, for they preach, but do not practice.
Many people are calling Governor Sanford a hypocrite. According to Strong’s, “hypocrite” can be understood as an actor under an assumed character – in other words a “stage-player” (Strong’s G5273). This is interesting given Philippians 1:15-18 where we find that some preach Christ out of selfish ambition. This, of course, is what many politicians do to reach Christian voters.
Many people believe that Governor Sanford’s confession was an appeal to the Christian base of the Republican Party. In other words, they believe his confession was simply “damage control”. Nonetheless, Paul reveals that whether from false motives or sincere motives, Christ is preached. In this particular situation, their message is true even though their motives are tainted and impure. The Gospel’s validity is not dependent on the messenger. In other words, we are to obey God’s Word even when it comes from hypocrites. Sadly, many people will unjustly judge the Gospel by the spokesperson.
The point I want to make is that even though many Lawmakers reject God’s purpose for themselves (Luke 7:30), they nonetheless understand that God’s laws are absolute – as Sanford’s words bear witness. When Sanford publicly acknowledged his adultery, he also acknowledged that God’s laws are not just a rigid list of do’s and don’ts, rather, they are laws designed to protect people from themselves. As he stated in his press conference
“But I am -- I am here because if you were to look at God's laws, there are in every instance designed to protect people from themselves. I think that that is the bottom line with God's law -- that it's not a moral, rigid list of dos and don'ts just for the heck of dos and don'ts. It is indeed to protect us from ourselves. And the biggest self of self is, indeed, self. That sin is in fact grounded in this notion of what is it that I want, as opposed to somebody else.”[23]
The fact that Senator Ensign was a member of the well-known men’s Christian Organization, “Promise Keepers”, whose members promise to uphold the sanctity of their marriage vows clearly reveals that he too understands God’s Laws and what they require. They both erred when they rejected God’s purpose for themselves as ambassadors for Jesus Christ bringing the Gospel into reproach! And, this was not lost by Satan, the accuser of the Brethren!
America’s Sin –
The Hypocrisy of the Declaration of Independence
One of the founding documents of this country is our Declaration of
Independence, which declared separation from Great Britain and established the
United States as a new, independent nation.
At the core of the Declaration was the concept of “liberty”. However, what does
American liberty really embody?
Liberty was the war cry of those who fought in the Revolutionary War. Liberty became America’s new secular religion and the Capitol of the United States was America’s temple of and to Liberty. The Capitol was to serve as a witness not only of America’s secular liberty, but of America’s goal to establish their ideal of liberty throughout the world. (See article titled: Liberty: America’s New Secular Religion and New Secular Law)
Moreover, liberty was the war cry of those lawmakers who justified the
war in Iraq. However, liberty as defined by America is not welcomed by all
nations, including Iraq, nor should it be.
Every nation should be at “liberty” to choose their own form of civil
government, including Iraq who supposedly embraced America’s form of democracy after
America invaded their country.
President
Bush, like others before him, believed that liberty is everyone’s “God-given
right” and for that reason, President Bush justified making liberty a
cornerstone of America’s foreign policy.
However, Bush’s concept of liberty is not in agreement with Scripture’s
“perfect law of liberty”.
President
Bush’s concept of liberty is secular and imperfect. God’s concept of liberty is the “perfect law
of liberty” found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, liberty apart from Jesus Christ is not
and cannot be everyone’s “God-given right”.
God’s Perfect Law of Liberty – Jesus Christ
According
to Scripture, the law of liberty that everyone will be judged by is according
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ – not secular liberty. James and Paul refer to this fact:
James 1 [25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,
and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the
work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (emphasis added)
James 2 [12] So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by
the law of liberty.
Romans 2 [16] In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by
Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
The
perfect law of liberty is the Gospel in its entirety and according to the
Gospel of Christ Jesus – Jesus and Jesus alone is the chief cornerstone
(Ephesians 2:20). In other words, our
liberty and freedom are based upon and found in the belief in Jesus Christ and
His teachings.
Scripture
reveals that many will find it offensive that Jesus Christ is the chief
cornerstone of our liberty. Therefore,
we should not be surprised when a nation professes a cornerstone apart from
Jesus Christ and places their founding documents and laws above the
authoritative Word of God.
The “Laws of Nature” according to the
Declaration of Independence
Fill
up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim so that nothing may be
wanting to a full measure: America’s desire to establish liberty
apart from God’s perfect law of liberty has added to America’s guilt. The
Declaration of Independence has added to America’s guilt and is one reason why America
is reaping calamities. The Declaration of Independence is another example of man’s
attempt to establish secular liberty apart from God’s perfect law of
liberty. Therefore, let’s take a closer
look at the Declaration of Independence.
More to the point – what has America reaped and why?
The
Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, reads in part:
“When in the Course of human events it
becomes necessary … to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and
equal station to which the Laws of
Nature and of Nature's God
entitle them …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.
– That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed” (emphasis added)
These
words sound ethical and virtuous, yet American history bears witness that
neither Thomas
The
Declaration implies that we are entitled to these god-given rights because of
the “Laws of Nature” and of “Nature’s God”.
Yet, the god-given rights guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence
are not in agreement with the “Perfect Law of Liberty” as revealed in
Scripture. They are nothing more than utopian
ideals and for that reason they cannot be guaranteed as demonstrated by America’s
history.
It is important
to note that Satan is “god” of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4); therefore, god
spelled with a small “g” as above is in reference to the god of this age while
God spelled with a capital “G” is referring to the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. True God-given rights are quite
different from secular “god-given rights” which are exclusionary. This would explain why the Founding Fathers
did not extend the god-given rights they speak about to their slaves, Native
American Indians and others who were disenfranchised, such as women and the
poor.
The LORD
allows man to accept or reject the rights that He offers to every man. On the other hand, man does not have the
choice when it comes to secular god-given rights – those rights are determined
by men, as was the case with America’s Founding Fathers.
First,
the Declaration states that “all men are created equal”. However, Thomas
Unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the
Pursuit of Happiness
·
Life according to the Word of God: Exodus 20:13 commands “Thou
salt not kill”
·
Life according to the Declaration of
Independence:
-
Yet, the Founding
Fathers, slave owners themselves, did not pass laws that punished slave owners
who took the lives of their slaves!
-
America’s government
not only justified taking land that belonged to others, the government
justified killing Native American Indians who lived on that land in order to
take possession of that land for themselves.
-
Today, how many innocent civilians have lost their lives in wars (Iraq, Vietnam,
etc.) from weapons (bombs, landmines, mortar rounds, bullets, etc.) fired by American
soldiers?
-
Over 45 million unborn
children in America have been legally killed since 1973 when our government
said abortion was a woman’s “right”.
·
Liberty according to the Word of God: As described above,
Scripture reveals that the “perfect law of liberty” is found only in the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.
·
Liberty according to the Declaration of
Independence:
-
One only has to take
into consideration that the “liberties” of the slaves and Native American
Indians were not protected by the very ones that authored and approved the
Declaration of Independence.
-
What liberties of poor
white people were protected?
-
How many innocent
people sit in prisons today because their liberties have not been
protected?
-
As a rule, the
government passed laws to protect the liberties of the general population
after, and only after, the public
rebelled against the government in one way or another. For example:
·
Laws against
segregation
·
Voting rights laws
·
Laws to protect coal
minors
·
Child labor laws.
-
Again, liberty
according to the Declaration of Independence is “secular liberty” and
imperfect. Liberty apart from Jesus
Christ is not everyone’s “God-given right”.
·
The Pursuit of
Happiness according to the Word of God: Scripture reveals that God, through
His kindness, places happiness in our hearts:
Acts 14 [17] Yet He did not neglect to leave some witness of Himself, for He did
you good and [showed you] kindness and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful
seasons, satisfying your hearts with nourishment and happiness. (Amplified
Bible, emphasis added)
·
The Pursuit of Happiness
according to the Declaration of Independence:
-
The Founding Fathers
professed that it was the responsibility of the government to protect everyone’s
god-given right to pursue happiness.
Yet, like those in Ezekiel 13:22, the people that God had not made sad,
they themselves made sad.
-
They did not protect
the happiness of the slaves or the Native American Indians. It was common to sell a slave’s children or
spouse to another slave owner thereby making it impossible for the slaves to
establish a family unit. Only the slaves
themselves could understand the sorrow and “unhappiness” they must have endured
at the hands of the very ones who were to protect their supposed right to
pursue happiness.
-
Displacing Native
Americans from their lands and hunting grounds (their home, food supply and
livelihood) certainly did not make them happy or allow them to pursue
happiness. This problem persists today.
-
Not regulating
industry that required factory workers, miners and other working classes to
labor extremely long hours in intolerable and often unsafe conditions for
minimal wages did not allow these people to pursue happiness.
Yet,
America’s lawmakers continue to promote these so-called secular laws of nature
as God-given rights, not only for America, but also for the rest of the
world. For that reason, President Bush
made liberty the cornerstone of America’s foreign policy. Our lawmakers are on treacherous ground when
they confuse God-given rights with the god-given rights of Satan and interfere
with other God-ordained civil governments.
To
prophesy that America would lay a foundation for erecting temples of liberty in
every part of the earth is to interfere with other civil governments that have
been established by God (Romans 13).
Whether it is a democracy or other form of government, all civil
governments have been established by the Lord, and to interfere with other governments
is to interfere with governments established by God.
God-given Rights vs. god-given Rights
Why is
there confusion between God-given rights and god-given rights? When Thomas
It may
come as a surprise to those Americans who believe that God has a divine purpose
“exclusively” for America that God has a divine purpose for all nations – first
and foremost the nation of Israel. The
revelation of God’s law of nature has been made known to all nations, not just
to those living in America. The law of
nature is the “moral law” according to the will of God and Romans 1:20 and
2:14-15 reveals that this law of nature is a law that is made known to all of
mankind, not just Believers. Therefore,
all of mankind is capable of living in a society not ruled by chaos regardless
of their form of civil government.
Keep in
mind, the Roman government that both Jesus and the Apostle Paul submitted to was
not a democratic form of government.
Consequently, America cannot claim that a democratic form of government
is everyone’s God-given right.
In
Biblical times, Israel understood that the Roman government, whose authority
they were under at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, would not bring salvation to
the earth. In fact, the Israelites were
waiting for the promised Messiah to come, deliver them from the Roman civil government
and set up His righteous kingdom. Yet,
because of envy and a variety of other reasons, instead of letting Jesus
establish His kingdom, they enticed the civil government to crucify Him.
Even
though all civil governments are established by God, none, including America’s
civil government, can nor are they ordained to bring salvation to the world any
more than the Roman government who aided the Israelites in crucifying
Jesus. Salvation and true liberty is found
in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.
For
America to believe that they can establish freedom and God-given rights
throughout the world by promoting America’s form of democracy in countries they
invade (e.g., Iraq) is arrogance and idolatry.
At best, they can only hope to establish a democratic form of
government, but not a righteous government.
God’s law
cannot be set aside by secular law or secular liberty. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus declares that He did
not come to do away with the law, meaning the law according to Scripture:
Matthew 5 [17] Think that am come to destroy
the law, or the prophets: I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfill. [18] For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
According to Isaiah 9, the government rests on the shoulders of Jesus Christ, yet our lawmakers seek to take the government off the shoulders of Jesus Christ and place it on their own shoulders. Like Pilate, America’s lawmakers boast of their own power and authority – yet no civic government has any authority except it were given it to them from above (John 19:10-11).
John 19 [10] Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou
not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power
to release thee? [11] Jesus answered,
Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from
above: therefore he that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Romans 13 reveals that all civil governments are established by God; therefore, they are subject to Him. They are God’s sword – not their own. Therefore, their power is limited – their power does not negate the power of God, His Word or their accountability to Him. Like Pilate, today’s lawmakers, whether they are Believers or not, are accountable to the Lord. Even though Jesus submitted to Pilate, He made it clear to Pilate that He, like the Israelites who represented the religious establishment, were both accountable, but in different ways. Accountability is a Biblical principal, not an issue that lawmakers can vote on.
Even though Pilate was guilty of sin because he ordered Jesus crucifixion, those who handed Jesus over to Pilate were guilty of the greater sin because they knew that Jesus was the Son of God – Pilate did not (John 19:11). In other words, even though America’s civil government is guilty of sin, the Church leaders who pray secular prayers at events such as the Presidential Inaugural so as not to offend someone are guilty of the greater sin because they know better and in doing so, they misrepresent Jesus Christ. Obviously, those civil leaders who profess Jesus Christ, yet misrepresent Him, are guilty of the greater sin as well.
Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim so that nothing may be wanting to a full measure: Together, America’s civil government and America’s religious establishment have added to America’s guilt. Whether it was Caesar’s civil government, which Jesus submitted to in order to fulfill prophecy, or today’s civil governments, neither have been called to establish Jesus’ Kingdom. Jesus Himself will do that!
John 18 [35] “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests
who handed You over to me. What is it
you have done?” [36] Jesus said, “My
kingdom is not of this world. If it
were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is from another place.”
(NIV)
Man cannot do what only Jesus Christ was called to do. The civil government is not called to be the spiritual leaders of the Church. However, Romans 2:12-16 reveals that the law is written on their hearts as well on the Believers heart and even though they are not called to be the spiritual leaders of the Church, they are accountable to be the moral leaders of the nation they serve. For all of the above reasons lawmakers should acknowledge that the government rests on the shoulders of Jesus Christ and place the authoritative Word of God above the Constitution.
Many
Christian lawmakers have chosen patriotism over being an ambassador for Jesus
Christ and they can be likened to the carnal Christians that Paul describes in
1 Corinthians 3. A Christian who takes
the oath of office to uphold a constitution that requires him not to show
favoritism to one religion over another and still believes that he can be can
be an ambassador for Jesus Christ is a carnal Christian. To show favoritism to Christianity would
violate his oath of office and Scripture is clear about the dangers of taking
oaths. Scripture reveals that anything
beyond a “yes” or “no” is of the evil one.
In other words, a Christian needs to choose whether he wants to serve
secular religion that requires him to take an oath to uphold freedom of
religion or be an ambassador for Jesus Christ –he cannot do both.
America’s Sin – Idolatry of Our Constitution
The U.S. Constitution was America’s second attempt at structuring a national government and national laws (the first was the Articles of Confederation). Like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution created spiritual openings (sins) for America. It officially endorsed and legalized the institution of slavery in the newly independent United States (Article 2, Section 3) until slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment. It was idolatrous from its inception and continued the hypocrisy of the Declaration of Independence. Moreover, it promoted synchronistic worship and synchronistic religion.
The Significance of James Wilson
On
September 11, 1787, a breach in the spiritual realm was created when James
Wilson verbalized the ideology of America’s Founding Fathers at the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
It was through this breach to the day and month that the Islamic
terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001. However, his prophecy that America would
erect temples of liberty throughout the world was not the only factor that
contributed to the breach in the spiritual realm in 1787.
America
accuses Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organization of not valuing the lives
of human beings. However, America’s
Constitution bears witness that neither did James Wilson nor our other Founding
Fathers who met in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft America’s Constitution.
As a
member of the Constitutional Convention, James Wilson helped draft the U.S.
Constitution. Per Wilson’s proposal, the
“Three-fifths Compromise” was included in the constitution, which counted “all
other Persons” (i.e., slaves) as three-fifths of a person for purposes of
taxation and representation. Even
three-fifths was considered too much for those who did not want slaves to be
considered at all. Furthermore,
three-fifths was not a reflection of true feelings since many in attendance
even considered slaves, the backbone of America’s southern economy, to be
anything other than property.
It is
difficult to comprehend that one human being believed that he had the power to
determine the worth of another human being.
Yet, that was the mindset of America’s Founding Fathers who, as a group,
decreed in America’s Constitution that slaves were only “three-fifths” of a
whole person. Believing that the
Constitution was the authoritative law of America, apparently they also
believed that Americans throughout the ages would also accept their values and
way of thinking that one could devalue the lives of others. By examining America’s history it is easy to
see that the Founding Fathers way of thinking concerning the value of people
has manifested in one way or another throughout America’s existence. For example, child labor practices, inhuman
working conditions/practices in the workplace, the draft, unequal pay,
discrimination/racism, to name a few.
Only
because of economic greed and political reasons did our Founding Fathers
compromise and agree that slaves were even three-fifths of a whole person. Even those in attendance who didn’t agree
with slavery didn’t necessarily oppose slavery; for that reason, they were able
to agree to “three-fifths” in order to find favor on other issues that would
further their own personal agendas and lust for power and money. Again, “covetousness practices”
Another interesting connection with James Wilson is found in the embryonic beginnings of our federal banking system. The first central government incorporated bank in America, the Bank of North America, was chartered on December 31, 1781 and began operations January 7, 1782. Wilson not only helped his friend Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance of America, draft the bank’s charter, but also argued its constitutionality and was appointed as one of its original directors. The main purpose of the bank was to finance the war debt of the new country and effectively married the wealthy with the government.
Apart from his public accomplishments, Wilson’s personal life was one of greed. He was publically thought to be guilty of “engrossing” (hoarding goods to drive up prices) and war profiteering. He engaged in excessive and unsuccessful land speculation throughout his life and even tried to influence legislation in Pennsylvania to favor land speculators. He twice landed in debtor’s prison and died in North Carolina at the age of 56, disgraced and penniless.
James Wilson’s friend, Robert Morris, is portrayed in the mural, The Apotheosis of Washington, which is located in the eye of the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. The Apotheosis of Washington is an allegory that connects American historical figures with the spiritual realm – a concept that was embraced and nurtured by George Washington before his death. As previously noted, George Washington is portrayed elevated to the status of a god with a goddess on either side. In this same mural, while not elevated to the status of a god, Robert Morris, “financier of the American Revolution”, is portrayed receiving a bag of gold from Mercury, the pagan god of commerce.
Interestingly, because of America’s current financial crises, the government has transformed several of today’s once leading banks and financial institutions into quasi-government agencies as part of the government’s recovery plan – a move unwelcomed by many.
The Constitution
Becomes an Idol
Sadly, many of our lawmakers, like Rufus Choate, who served as a Congressman and Senator from Massachusetts during the 1830’s, put their trust in man and in the U.S. Constitution rather than the Lord. In 1833, Choate proudly stated,
“We have built no temple but the Capitol.
We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.”
~ Rufus Choate, 1833 [24]
These
words spoken by Rufus Choate in 1833 not only speak volumes about his beliefs,
but they also reaffirm the ideology of America’s forefathers who built the
Capitol to function as a “civic temple” and who placed the Constitution that
they authored above the authoritative Word of God. The words of Rufus Choate, one might say, now
belong to the ages.
With the
approval of Congress, Choate’s words have been engraved at the entrance to the new
Capitol’s Visitor Center that opened in December of 2008. The Visitor Center now serves as the “new
gateway” to the Capitol and will forever be a reminder to all who pass through
those doors that America’s lawmakers “have built no temple but the Capitol
and they consult no common oracle but the Constitution.”
America’s Sin – Idolatry of our National Laws
God ordained all civil governments
(Romans 13:1), so obviously He doesn’t punish a civil government for the power
it wields – He punishes them when they abuse that power. More specifically, America abused that power
when they violated the First Commandment that reads, “Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me”! (Exodus 20:3)
When a nation consults laws established by a pagan lawmaker who professes to be the earthly representative of a pagan deity or receives laws from a god other than Yahweh, then that nation has placed other gods before Him and He will judge that nation for abusing the authority He gave them when their sins have reached full measure. He will not share His glory with another!
The Evolution of American Law:
It might
surprise some Christians to discover that America’s laws have a distinctly
pagan influence. The following is a
quote from Art in the United States
Capitol prepared by the Architect of the Capitol, which describes the 23
relief portraits in the House Chamber at the US Capitol.
“The 23
relief portraits in marble are of men noted in history for the part they played
in the evolution of what has become American law. They were placed over the gallery doors of
the House of Representatives Chamber when it was remodeled 1949-50.... In
chronological order the lawgivers are:
|
[Lawmaker] |
|
[Date] |
[Office, Occupation, or
Historical Position held] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hammurabi |
c |
2067-2025 B.C. |
[King of Babylon] |
|
Moses |
c |
1571-1451 B.C. |
[Hebrew Prophet & Lawmaker] |
|
Lycurgus |
c |
900 B.C. |
[Spartan Legislator] |
|
Solon |
c |
594 B.C. |
[Athenian Statesman] |
|
Gaius |
c |
110-180 A.D. |
[Roman Jurist] |
|
Papinian |
c |
200 A.D. |
[Roman Jurist] |
|
Justinian |
c |
483-565 A.D. |
[Byzantine Emperor] |
|
Tribonian |
c |
500-547 A.D. |
[Byzantine Jurist] |
|
Maimonides |
c |
1135-1204 A.D. |
[Jewish Philosopher] |
|
Gregory IX |
c |
1147-1241 A.D |
[Pope] |
|
Innocent III |
|
1161-1216 A.D. |
[Pope] |
|
de Montfort |
|
1200-1265 A.D. |
[English Statesman] |
|
|
|
1214-1270 A.D. |
[King of France] |
|
Alphonso X |
|
1221-1284 A.D. |
[King of |
|
Edward I |
|
1239-1307 A.D. |
[King of England] |
|
Suleiman |
|
1494-1566 A.D. |
[Sultan of Turkey] |
|
Grotius |
|
1583-1645 A.D. |
[Dutch Statesman] |
|
Colbert |
|
1619-1683 A.D |
[French Statesman] |
|
Pothier |
|
1699-1772 A.D. |
[French Jurist] |
|
Blackstone |
|
1723-1780 A.D. |
[English Jurist] |
|
Mason |
|
1726-1792 A.D. |
[Drafter of |
|
|
|
1743-1826 A.D. |
[Third President of the U.S.] |
|
Napoleon |
|
1769-1821 A.D. |
[Emperor of France]” [25] |
As an example, America’s lawmakers considered the codes of a pagan king of Babylon to be significant to the evolution of the American Constitution. The Codes of Hammurabi were developed by King Hammurabi who believed that Babylon was under the rule of the pagan gods and that the god, Marduk, had called him as his earthly representative to govern both the land and the people. Scripture clearly reveals that the spirits behind these pagan gods do indeed rule over geographical areas and have human representatives that maintain places of worship for them (Jeremiah 49:1-3, 48:7; Judges 11:23-24; Daniel 10:13-21, Ezekiel 28). However, Scripture also reveals that the Lord will judge the gods of a nation as well as the nation itself.
The Lord had this to say about the Kings of Babylon and Marduk:
Jeremiah 50 [1] This is the Word the Lord spoke through
Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians. [2] Announce and proclaim among the nations,
lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, Babylon will be
captured; Bel will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will be put to shame and her idols
filled with terror.” (NIV)
The Hammurabi Code was found engraved in rock with a relief of Hammurabi portrayed receiving the laws from the sun god – the god of Justice. Interestingly, this concept was embraced by America’s lawmakers as well. On the north side of the marble base of a monument to Chief Justice John Marshall, there is “a panel in relief, ‘Minerva Dictating the Constitution to Young America’. A companion panel on the south side, ‘Victory Leading Young America to Swear Fidelity at the Altar of the Union’ is depicted…” [26] To acknowledge King Hammurabi and the gods he represented is consistent with the Founding Father’s belief that the gods were involved in the everyday lives of men.
Marduk’s Star was Jupiter: As described in other articles (see Freemasons are most Religious and Liberty: America’s New Secular Religion), The Apotheosis of Washington linked America’s historical figures with pagan gods. As Acts 19:35 and Amos 5:26 reveal, pagan gods were identified with planets. In The Apotheosis of Washington, Washington is portrayed as the pagan god, Jupiter, who was associated with the same planet that pagans associated with Marduk. Not only was Marduk associated with the planet Jupiter, in many instances Marduk was considered another name for Jupiter. Even though The Apotheosis of Washington was painted long after Washington’s death, it was consistent with his own personal beliefs concerning Jupiter.
Moreover, America’s Capitol Hill was named after Rome’s Capitoline Hill, the location of the temple built for Jupiter. It was here that government officials went to pay homage to Jupiter and to request his blessings regarding governmental affairs. And, the list goes on regarding Jupiter’s influence.
Obviously, Hammurabi and the principality, Marduk, who operated through him, had a significant influence on America’s government and lawmaking. The oldest known monuments of Marduk portray him holding the “spiritual triangle” that George Washington knowingly incorporated into the footprint of our nation’s capital. (See the article on Spiritual Triangles: The Federal Triangle) Hammurabi even credited the fish god, Dagon, as his creator. Further, Dagon is one of the three principalities that the image of the fish surrounding the mall area in D.C., represents. Spiritual triangles, so important to both Marduk and Washington, were incorporated within the fish as well as the tail of this fish.
Clearly, our American lawmakers did not choose Hammurabi or many of the above-mentioned lawmakers because of their righteousness or because they worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob exclusively. They were chosen because, like Hammurabi, not all but many of the laws they made were moral laws – based on their sense of right and wrong – according to the laws that were written on their hearts. Nonetheless, morality does not equate to righteousness, and we as a nation are not to consult the laws of unrighteous Hammurabi, his gods, or other unrighteous men. We are to exclusively consult the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who ordained all governments.
Scripture reveals that there is nothing new under the sun – what has been will be again. Just as Satan beguiled Hammurabi and other pagan kings to act as the human representatives of spiritual beings whose goal is to further Satan’s kingdom, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would only bow down, worship him and in essence, be Satan’s earthly representative.
Matthew 4 [1] Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into
the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. [2] And when he had fasted forty
days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. [3] And when the tempter
came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be
made bread. [4] But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. [5]
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle
of the temple, [6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and
in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone. [7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God. [8] Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding
high mountain, and sheweth him all
the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; [9] And saith
unto him, All these things will I
give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. [10] Then
saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence,
Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve. [11] Then the
devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. (emphasis
added)
Thy Kingdom Come: However, Jesus Christ made it clear to Satan that He was here to do His Father’s will, and that was to establish His Father’s Kingdom – not further Satan’s Kingdom.
Just as Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would only bow down and worship him, Satan will continue to tempt those who serve in government to interfere with the government of other nations. Many will be blinded believing they can conquer and rule over other nations. Hitler is only one among a list of many rulers before and after him who believed they could conquer and rule other governments.
Satan is the god of this age (John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:1-3) and we know that there are geographical principalities that influence earthly rulers (Daniel 10 – 11), however, Satan does not have the authority to give to whomever he wants to the power to rule over nations. The only authority Satan has is the authority that God allows him to wield as god of this age and he cannot go outside the boundaries of authority that God has established for him. Yet, Satan will continue to offer to those who are blinded by him what is not his to offer, and those who are blinded will believe the lie.
Interestingly, Satan offered Jesus what already belonged to Jesus – all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus knew that the government rested on His shoulders and that the kingdoms belonged to Him. Further, Jesus would not bypass the cross in order to establish His Kingdom. The fulfillment of His Kingdom will be realized during His thousand-year reign. For those reasons. when Jesus commanded Satan to get behind Him, Satan retreated. More to the point, Satan yielded to the authority of Jesus Christ and took his place, which was subordinate to Jesus.
1 John 3:8 reveals that Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of Satan. When Satan retreated, he must have realized that it was only a matter of time before his kingdom was abolished and that his reign as god of this age was soon to end. Until then, just as Satan tempted Jesus, Satan will tempt the most holy of Christians. That is why as Christians we must do as Ephesians 6:17 instructs us, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”. We must know what the Word of God says about the governments He has established and apply it to our lives.
The timing of the temptation of Jesus reveals that it was crucial that Jesus overcome Satan before He began His ministry. Satan’s defeat was sealed when Jesus said to Satan, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve”! If we are to overcome and defeat Satan in our own lives, we too must embrace the principle of the Kingdom of God and that is to worship the Lord and Him only.
Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim so that nothing may be wanting to a full measure. Today’s government leaders who promote secular religion and continue to place the Constitution over the authoritative Word of God have added to the sins of our Founding Fathers who violated the First Commandment and placed Secular Religion and its gods above the exclusive Worship of Yahweh. Unlike Jesus, America’s Founding Fathers did not overcome Satan when forming their new government after winning the Revolutionary War. Rather, they paid homage to Satan when they replaced the state religion of Christianity that had been established in the colonies by King James with “Liberty” as their new secular religion. The state religion of the colonies honored the First Commandment – the exclusive worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Rufus Choate, whose words are engraved at the Gateway to the U.S. Capitol building, reaffirm the ideology of America’s forefathers: “We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution”. By contrast, before the American Revolution the Bible was considered the authoritative Word in America. It was on the basis of this new secular religion of Liberty that James Wilson, on September 11, 1787, prophesied that America would establish a temple to in every part of the world!
To embrace secular religion is to embrace false gods and to embrace either is to pay homage to Satan. Moreover, Satan doesn’t care if a nation acknowledges Yahweh – as long as it is not exclusive worship of Yahweh!
Revelation, Chapters 1 through 3, reveals that the Lord sent a messenger to the seven churches with letters that addressed the current spiritual condition of the individual churches as well as the spiritual condition of certain individuals within their congregations. The letters revealed that Jesus either applauded their deeds or listed deeds that He was against because they were counter to Biblical teachings or both, depending on the church. Needless to say, the churches that received rebukes were commanded to repent.
The U.S. Supreme Court
America’s Lawmakers, specifically Supreme Court Justices, of
all people, have added to the sins of our Founding Fathers who
sanctioned the power that the Justices wield.
According to the Constitution of the United States, the Founding Fathers
intended that the United States Supreme Court Justices were to interpret the
Constitution they had authored. For that
reason, they and they alone would determine what laws were constitutional and
what laws were unconstitutional. In
particular, Christian Lawmakers who interpret laws according to their
understanding of the Constitution rather than according to the commands of the
Lord – calling good what God calls evil and calling evil what God calls good –
have added to the sins of our Founding Fathers.
Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the
brim so that nothing may be wanting to a full measure: Scripture reveals that even the stones that
man erects bear witness to what a particular generation believes and those same
stones are meant to be a witness to other generations to come of the beliefs of
their forefathers. (Joshua 22:27-29; 24:25-26).
In the same way, the marble stones that make up the building itself as
well as the marble images incorporated into the Supreme Court Building bear
witness that the Supreme Court Justices of all people and of all Lawmakers have
added to the sins of our Founding Fathers.
Let’s begin with
the images. The stone representations, a
frieze on the north and south walls of the Courtroom, of Hammurabi, Muhammad
and fifteen other ancient Lawmakers that were incorporated into the
architecture of the United States Supreme Court Building are a witness to our
present generation and all future generations to come that the United States
Supreme Court Justices honored secular and pagan lawgivers as the great
lawgivers of history. Each of the
seventeen supposed “Great Lawgivers of History” were specifically chosen
to emphasize a correlation between the sculptural subject and the function of
America’s supposedly “Supreme” Lawgivers – the United States Supreme
Court Justices themselves.
I have mentioned seventeen stones, however, there are
actually eighteen total. The
representation of Moses, the only true “Great Lawgiver of History”, is
portrayed alongside the other seventeen representations. However, we will find that the representation
of Moses is a misrepresentation and that in itself bears witness against the
Supreme Court Justices.
As was the custom of the Architects who designed government buildings,
Cass Gilbert, architect of the Supreme Court Building, used iconography to
visually convey the ideology of the United States Supreme Court Justices. The images of Muhammad and the other
seventeen ancient lawgivers were meant to visually convey that America’s
Supreme Court Justices identified with those they believed to be the “Great
Lawgivers of Antiquity”. The Justices
themselves believed that they too were “Great Lawgivers”, contemporary peers to
the eighteen ancient lawgivers whose images are commemorated in the friezes of
the Supreme Court Building! In other
words, they idolized those they identified with – it is hero worship and is
nothing more than the sin of idolatry.
The same concept applies to the architect of the building itself, which
Chief Justice William Howard Taft, overseer of the construction of the Supreme
Court building, considered to be a “temple”.
This temple was to house the Constitution that he likened to the Biblical
“Ark of the Covenant” with the Supreme Court Justices as a priestly class
guarding its sacred principles. To liken the Supreme Court Building to the Ark
of the Covenant implies that the Constitution itself was considered to be as
sacred as the Ten Commandments that the Lord commanded Moses to place within
the Ark. We will come back to the
Building after further exploring the images.
The eighteen images in the Supreme Court building frieze speak
volumes! Let’s begin with the marble
representation of Moses. The following quotes are from an
information sheet published by the “Office of the Curator Supreme Court of the
United States” and reveals that the tablets Moses are
holding exclude the first five Commandments of the Law.
“Moses (c.
1300s B.C.) Prophet, lawgiver, and judge of the Israelites. Mosaic Law is based on the Torah, the first
five books of the Old Testament. Moses is depicted in the frieze holding two
overlapping tablets, written in Hebrew, representing the Ten Commandments. Partially visible from behind Moses’ beard
are Commandments six through ten.” (emphasis added)
The stone image of Moses bears witness that the highest court in the land acknowledges the last five Commandments that give details of our duties toward our fellow man – yet does not acknowledge the first five Commandments that give details of our duties toward Yahweh (and our parents). More to the point, they acknowledge the “moral” Commandments, however they do not acknowledge the “Divine” Commandments.
Because iconography is designed to have more than one meaning, the architect can visually convey one message to those who understand the true intent – in this case the lawgivers – while hiding the true meaning from others – the general public. For example, while the public is meant to see the representation of Moses, more than likely they won’t comprehend that Moses is misrepresented! From my personal experience Christians will simply focus on the fact that Moses is represented, and not realize that only five of the Ten Commandments are portrayed. Even if they did, they would probably not comprehend the significance of this fact and how it relates to the ideology of the Supreme Court Justices. In other words, the exclusion of the first five Commandments was not an oversight!
The Commandments were ten in number, meaning “completeness”. Therefore, the moral commandments cannot be separated out from those that reveal the nature of Yahweh. Keeping in mind that the Ten Commandments were written by God Himself – and He and He alone is the Lawgiver (James 4:12) – then man is treading on dangerous territory when he believes that he has the liberty of excluding the Divine commandments from the moral commandments. It is to take away the “Key to Knowledge”.
In Scripture, the key to knowledge and the beginning of wisdom is reverence for the Lord:
Luke 11 [52] Woe to you experts in the
law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have
hindered those who were entering. (NIV)
The revelation of God’s will is contained in His Ten Commandments –
therefore how do people know they are sinning against the Lord when our
Lawmakers exclude the first five commandments that reveal who He is! Without the first five Commandments,
America’s laws are purely moral and secular in nature. At best, both the Divine and the moral laws
of the Ten Commandments only brought knowledge of sin, but it could not
save. That’s why Jesus Christ came, not
to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law, so that those who believe in Him
would not be under the curse of the Law, but under the grace and truth that
came by Jesus Christ!
John 1 [17] For the law was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (NIV)
The Letter of the Law kills – but it is the Spirit that gives it life
– 2 Corinthians 3:6:
In other words,
what is the point of America’s man-made laws when they leave Yahweh and Jesus
out of the equation?
“Thou shalt not”, contained in nine of the ten Commandments, reveals that man’s nature
leans more towards transgression than obedience – hence the need for laws. Without the Spirit to give the Laws life,
then where is man’s hope or the incentive to turn from “Thou shalt not” to “Thou
shall”?
Why are our prisons filled to over-capacity and why is America
witnessing more and more lawlessness?
Why are America’s Judges and Prosecutors fearing for their
well-being? God’s Laws are never
changing, whereas man’s laws are ever changing.
Why? Because man’s laws cannot
change a man’s heart. Even though the
Ten Commandments were given to the Nation of Israel on tablets of stone, we
know from the Book of Romans that after Jesus Christ came, the Law was written
on the hearts of everyone, including the Gentiles, so there is no excuse.
An example of America’s ever changing laws is the use of
marijuana. At the present time, the recreational
use of marijuana is illegal. However,
because Americans are intent on using marijuana as a recreational drug, our
legal system is on the verge of making marijuana legal. Interestingly, according to many government
officials, the government stands to profit from the sale of marijuana through
its taxation. Given the financial predicament
that many states have found themselves in due to the economic crisis, the
profit from marijuana would be a much welcomed income – so they justify sin! Sadly, this would not be the first time that
lawmakers have changed laws here in America because of the potential
profit.
Many of America’s Lawmakers are like those about which the Apostle Paul spoke:.
1 Timothy 1 [7] They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. (NIV)
Paul reveals that the purpose of God’s Laws were to identify sin and Paul further reveals to Timothy that the Law is good only when used properly – 1 Timothy 1:8.
1 Timothy 1 [6] From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; [7] Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. [8] But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; [9] Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, [10] For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; [11] According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. (emphasis added)
Verse 8 reveals that the law is good only when it is interpreted according to the purpose for which God has given it. Anything other than its original purpose and meaning is not to use it lawfully.
For example, too often lawmakers, both believers
and unbelievers, pass laws that become stumbling blocks for people. For instance, the laws of the land say it is
lawful to have an abortion, yet this secular law only leads people into
sin. The legal argument that life does
not begin in the womb is contrary to the knowledge of Psalm 139 [27] that reveals that life does begin in the womb. By passing such laws, the Lawmakers
unwittingly place themselves under God’s Law.
It is by God’s Law that man will be judged, not secular laws passed by
man. On Earth as in Heaven: It is God who wields the power to determine
what is lawful and what is unlawful. One
needs not to go any further than the Ten Commandments and Scripture to know and
understand what is lawful and unlawful.
Those lawmakers who confidently affirm that it is legal to have an abortion do not know what they are talking about (verse 7). They have taken away the knowledge that even though it may be legal to have an abortion, meaning they will not be prosecuted and sent to prison, that abortion is still a sin.
Scripture forewarns us about those who are ambitious to be lawmakers, professing to be teachers of the law, yet have neither the qualifications nor the spiritual understanding of God’s Law to make laws to properly protect mankind. In other words, they discern God’s Law through a secular mindset, not that of a spiritual man, and therefore they do not use God’s law for the purposes He intended. God’s law was made to protect people, yet, according to 1Timothy 1:8, God’s law is only good if one uses it properly, that is, when it is interpreted according to the purpose for which God has given it. Anything other than its original purpose and meaning is not to use it lawfully.
Those lawgivers who did not use the law lawfully missed the mark because they were legalistic or because they turned aside unto “vain jangling”. The teachers of the law who were legalistic demanded keeping the “letter of the law” to achieve righteousness. Their error was in the belief that man could attain a more excellent perfection by keeping the letter of the law than could be reached by the Gospel alone.
On the other hand the teachers of the law who turned aside to worthless arguments and discussions not even worth hearing, distorted the moral principles of the law. Their error was not in meeting the obligations of the law or achieving perfection, but in passing immoral laws that called evil good and good evil. Case in point: the legalization of abortion and gay marriages came as a result after our lawmakers listened to and participated in numerous “worthless arguments, studies and discussions that were not even worth hearing”.
Regardless of the reasons why the
experts in the law missed the mark, they misrepresent God’s laws and for that
reason lead people into sin and bondage.
Although the Law is
written on everyone’s heart (Romans 2), we know that many people choose to live
according to their sinful nature because their minds are set on what their
nature desires, not on what the Lord desires.
Because the carnal mind is opposed to the will of God, they cannot
submit to God’s laws. Instead, they will
submit to their sinful nature and lawlessness, thus the need for civil laws
(Romans 8).
Habakkuk 1:7 & 11describes people who are a law unto themselves
and promote their own honor. Their own
power and strength is their god – and these people are to be feared and
dreaded. For that reason as well as
others, mankind needs lawmakers to pass moral laws that will govern society and
call into accountability those who have a law unto themselves. Because the law is written on the hearts of
lawmakers as well, they are capable of passing moral laws that are not opposed
to God’s moral laws enabling society to make a distinction between right and
wrong.
However, keeping in mind that even lawmakers can reject God’s purpose
for themselves as lawgivers (Luke 7:30), instead of leading they end up
following those who vote for them, simply to be re-elected. This is much like the experts of the law
during Jesus time who knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but they didn’t want to
lose their place in the Temple by acknowledging Him.
John 12 [42] Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they be put out of the synagogue; [43] for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (NIV, see also John 11:48)
Muhammad and the Supreme Court
Because America’s Supreme Court
Justices have rejected God’s purpose for themselves, we should not be surprised
that they embraced the lawgivers of nations that are anti-Christian or pagan
civilizations. For example, the United
States Supreme Court honors Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, as one of the
eighteen “Great Lawgivers of History”. To
honor Muhammad is to honor Muhammad’s god, Allah, who supposedly gave the “divine
law” of Islam to Muhammad. To pay
tribute to Muhammad and Allah dishonors the Lord and violates the commandment
that we are not to have any other gods before Yahweh. Therefore, we want
to explore the Supreme Court Justices ideology with regard to Muhammad and the
other seventeen lawmakers they consider the “great lawgivers of history”.
The following quotes are from an information sheet published by the “Office of the Curator Supreme Court of the United States” regarding the marble images of Lawmakers incorporated into the architecture of the United States Supreme Court building.
“Cass Gilbert (1867-1934), architect of the Supreme Court Building, selected Adolph A. Weinman (1870-1952), a respected and accomplished Beaux-Arts sculptor, to design the marble friezes for the Courtroom. Weinman’s training emphasized a correlation between the sculptural subject and the function of the building. Gilbert relied on him to choose the subjects and figures that best reflected the function of the Supreme Court Building. Faithful to classical sources and drawing from many civilizations, Weinman designed a procession of “great lawgivers of history” for the south and north walls to portray the development of law. Each frieze in the Courtroom measures 40 feet long by 7 feet, 2 inches high and is made of ivory vein Spanish marble.”[28] (emphasis added)
The following description of Muhammad is taken from the same information sheet as mentioned above.
“Muhammad (c. 570 - 632) The Prophet of Islam. He is depicted holding the Qur’an. The Qur’an provides the primary source of Islamic Law. Prophet Muhammad’s teachings explain and implement Qur’anic principles. The figure above is a well-intentioned attempt by the sculptor, Adolph Weinman, to honor Muhammad and it bears no resemblance to Muhammad. Muslims generally have a strong aversion to sculptured or pictured representations of their Prophet.”[29]
Notice the United States Supreme Court’s appreciation for the Qur’an. Anyone who is familiar with the teachings of Yahweh realizes that Islam and the Qur’an are anti-Christian and will always be at war with Christians as well as God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel. Yet, Islam’s Prophet Muhammad holding the Qur’an is among the eighteen lawgivers memorialized in stone. These stones of the United States Supreme Court building are a witness that the Supreme Court Justices have placed other gods before Yahweh adding to the sins of our forefathers!
Christians may also be somewhat surprised to find out that in 1997, when the Council on American-Islamic Relations requested that the Supreme Court remove the image of Muhammad because images are against their beliefs, Chief Justice Rehnquist, on behalf of the Supreme Court, rejected their request. In a letter to the CAIR, he stated that the image was intended only to recognize and honor Muhammad among many other lawgivers, as an important figure in the history of law – it was not intended as a form of idol worship.
Furthermore, in literature available to those who tour the Supreme Court Building, they further state that Muslims believe the divine word of God was revealed to their Prophet Muhammad. America’s highest court in the land has spoken and the stone images bear witness to what they have spoken.
The Temple of Justice
Now that we have examined the marble
images let’s consider the marble building itself which also bears witness
against the Supreme Court Justices. As
described above, the U.S. Capitol building has within its architecture 23 historical
lawgivers, only one of whom was biblical (Moses), that are credited with the
evolution of American law. In similar
fashion, the U.S. Supreme Court building has its own set of the great lawgivers
of history. Not surprisingly, only two
of the eighteen figures are biblical (Moses and King Solomon).
When examining the architecture of the Supreme Court Building, whether
it is the exterior of the interior, one has to take into consideration the
ideology of Chief Justice Taft who was authorized by Congress to oversee the
construction of the building and whose ideology was incorporated into the
iconography of the building.
“Chief Justice William Howard Taft liked to think of the Constitution as the ‘Ark of the Covenant,’ and the judiciary as a priestly class guarding its sacred principles.”[30]
“The frieze on the south wall features a procession of ‘Ancient Lawgivers,’ from Menes to Augustus; their modern counterparts, including Blackstone, Marshall, and Napoleon, appear on the north wall. Such sculpture contributes to a general atmosphere of quasi-religious veneration appropriate for Chief Justice William Howard Taft’s vision of a ‘temple’ of justice.”[31]
I suppose it would only be natural for those who identify with the lawmakers of antiquity and who envision themselves to be a priestly class to want their own temple. Because the building itself would house the Supreme Court Justices, all of whom Chief Justice William Howard Taft considered to be a “priestly class guarding the sacred principles of the Constitution”, he likened the building to the Biblical “Ark of the Covenant”. It seems that just as the ark symbolized the throne of the Lord (1 Samuel 4:4), the Supreme Court Building was to symbolize the throne of the Supreme Court Justices. Hence, Chief Justice Taft’s vision of a Temple of Justice. To liken the Supreme Court Building to the Ark of the Covenant also implies that the Justices considered the Constitution itself to be as sacred as the Ten Commandments that the Lord commanded Moses to place within the Ark.
From Genesis through
Revelation we find that even though man does not want to serve God, nonetheless,
they want to be like God. That is why we
find that men, throughout the ages (including our own lawmakers), even though they
establish man-made traditions that nullify the Word of God, will still want a temple
like God’s Temple, an ark of the covenant like God’s Ark of the Covenant,
followers devoted to them like those devoted to Yahweh, honor and glory that
belongs only to the Lord. Thus, they
become their own gods, violating the First Commandment that forbids us to have
any other gods before Him.
Lawmakers, Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s
sins to the brim so that nothing may be wanting to a full measure. Like those lawgivers in Jesus time, America’s
lawgivers have also added to the sins of our forefathers by taking away the key
to the knowledge that there is only one Lawgiver and Judge. It is the same One who is able to save and to
destroy, the One who has the absolute power of life and death, and that is the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (James 4:12)
Luke 11 [52] Woe to you experts in the
law, because you have taken away the
key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have
hindered those who were entering. (NIV)
God’s laws provide guidelines as to how we, as Christians, are to live
alongside unbelievers as well as other believers. God’s Laws are a key to knowledge and are
designed to protect us from ourselves.
For example, 1 Corinthians 6:18 reveals that those who sin sexually sin
against their own body; likewise, Ephesians 5:26 reveals that when we sin in
our anger we give the devil a foothold into our lives.
According to 1Timothy
1:6-10, the law was meant to protect men from “menstealers”, meaning those who
kidnap people and sell them into slavery.
Yet, not only was menstealing an accepted aspect of America’s slave
trade, America’s laws, including the Constitution of the United States, bears
witness that our lawmakers protected the menstealers, rather than those who
were kidnapped from the African nations and islands and sold into slavery. Obviously, America’s forefathers failed to
use God’s law properly. Not only did
they fail to make secular or moral laws to protect people from menstealers and
slavery, but they themselves purchased slaves from the slave traders. In doing so, they not only took away the key
to the knowledge of the Scriptures, but they sinned against mankind and the
Lord!
America’s Sin – Covetousness
and Greed
Part of the spiritual attack against America was eventually to bring down our economy as well as the economies of nations that yielded to America’s manipulation to support us in exploiting other countries. As of 2008, America and other nations who deferred to America are battling an economic war of global magnitude. Again, the openings for the attack were greed, covetousness practices, pride, idolatry, merchandising and trafficking that led to violence.
While merchandising is a Biblical principal it’s quite another thing when Satan becomes involved corrupting the process. Ezekiel 38 reveals that Satan, the King of Tyre, ruled through the earthly Prince of Tyre. We know that the King of Tyre is referring to Satan because verse 13 reveals that the King of Tyre had been in the Garden of Eden and verse 14 refers to the King of Tyre as the anointed cherub. We know from verse 17 that Satan fell because of his pride. However, what is really interesting is what verse 16 and 18 reveal about Satan’s fall. Satan also fell because he sinned through merchandising and trafficking that led to violence!
Ezekiel 28 [16] By the multitude of thy merchandise they
have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I
will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee,
O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. [17] Thine heart was
lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of
thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings,
that they may behold thee. [18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the
multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will
I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will
bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
America has also sinned through her merchandising and trafficking that has led to violence. Slave trafficking was a common practice among our Founding Fathers who owned salves and all of America understands the violence that came as a result of our Founding Fathers merchandising and trafficking of human beings. The list doesn’t stop there. Throughout America’s history, many Americans have been involved with some form of merchandising and trafficking that has led to violence, such as illegal drugs or alcohol during Prohibition.
Osama bin Laden has also accused America of greed. He has always maintained that when his organization attacked America in 2001, it was to draw America into a costly war – a war he hoped that would eventually bankrupt America. Interestingly, America placed its energies and money in Iraq (the country where ancient Nineveh is located), the ancient civilization with which America’s forefathers spiritually aligned themselves (this is explained in more detail later).
Covetousness, which is also idolatry (Colossians 3:5, Ephesians 5:5), was at the very core of America’s economic system established by our Founding Fathers. It was our Founding Fathers who justified slavery and the injustices perpetrated against Native Americans because of their covetousness for land, wealth and power.
Micah 2 [2] And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
Over time, slavery was abolished and war with the Indians ceased. However, the seeds of covetousness and covetous practices sown by our forefathers continued to exist. Throughout America’s over 400 years, first as colonies and then as a nation, these seeds have grown to one degree or another and in the fullness of time their covetous branches, like poison, have spread throughout all of America.
As long as America was prospering these covetous practices were not particularly disturbing. Today, however, lawmakers as well as the general public have become alarmed at these very practices only because of the profound economic crisis that we are presently facing on both a personal and corporate level.
Even though America has not acknowledged the covetousness and greed of our Founding Fathers, Americans, including lawmakers, have acknowledged that greed is at the root of America’s present economic crisis, which has effected Wall Street, the mortgage industry and the automobile industry, only to mention a few.
Greed begets covetous practices. For example, for many, fraud, deception, extortion and usury [32] became accepted practices at all levels of the mortgage industry, if that was what was required to either approve or secure a loan for those who otherwise would not have qualified for a loan as well as for those who just “wanted more”. However, because of the crisis that the mortgage industry is facing and the profound impact it is having on America, these practices are now being scrutinized by America’s lawmakers. Both lender and borrower are being called into accountability, albeit from a secular standpoint, after thousands of people have lost and continue to lose their homes to foreclosure.
Just as trade is a Biblical principle, lending and borrowing is a Biblical principle. Yet, Satan and his hordes seem to always find someone they can operate through to corrupt the righteousness of Biblical precepts.
Scripture speaks about the lender and borrower, a taker of usury and a giver of usury, as well as society as a whole, including God’s people, all being called into accountability. Note that this refers to a worldwide crisis!
Isaiah 24 [1] Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty,
and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the
inhabitants thereof. [2] And it shall be, as with the people, so with the
priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her
mistress; as with the buyer, so with
the seller; as with the
lender, so with the borrower; as
with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
Isaiah 24:10 even speaks of foreclosure.
Isaiah 24 [10] The city of confusion is broken down: every
house is shut up, that no man may come in.
“Shut up” in the context of Isaiah 24:10 means to surrender. In other words, those who owned houses, for whatever reason, had to give up their houses. Likewise, for a variety of reasons, many homeowners today have been forced to surrender their homes to foreclosure.
As revealed in Isaiah 24, sin was the root cause of the people’s woes. Likewise, sin was the root cause of America’s economic crisis and it was sin that allowed America’s enemies to enter into their gates on September 11, 2001.
You cannot fight sin with carnal weapons. America’s lawmakers have acknowledged that greed is at the core of our economic crisis, but only from a worldly perspective – not from a Godly perspective of sin. Because their perspective is worldly, they are trying to fight spiritual battles with carnal solutions.
Spiritual Connections
The Enemy Entered Into the Gates of America
With an understanding of America’s sins of idolatry, hypocrisy and covetousness, we can now explore the spiritual aspects of the judgment that has come upon our nation, including the spiritual gateway of Washington, DC and the ruling principalities involved in this judgment.
First was the element of surprise. Americans were stunned by the “impossibility” of the 2001 terrorist attack and the 2008 economic collapse. However, there is an interesting parallel in the Bible between events in ancient Jerusalem and modern-day America.
Lamentations 4 [11] The Lord hath accomplished his fury; He
hath poured out His fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations
thereof. [12] The kings of the earth,
and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the
adversary and the enemy
should have entered into the gates
of Jerusalem. (emphasis added)
Just as the kings of the earth and inhabitants of the world described in Lamentations 4:11-12 mistakenly believed that the gates of Jerusalem were fortified against any possible attack from the enemy, Americans and people around the world were astonished when our enemies entered into the gates of America and successfully attacked our country on September 11, 2001. The fire in Lamentations 4:11 speaks of a fire that surpasses other fires. Likewise, it was no ordinary fire that we witnessed on September 11, 2001. The magnitude of the fire that consumed the Twin Towers, like the fire in Zion, devoured even its foundations – a foundation that will not be rebuilt.
The Twin Towers represents the heart of America’s economic system and it is this foundation that the LORD is destroying.
Furthermore, just as the myth that America’s enemies would not nor could not enter the gates of America was dispelled, the myth that America was the leader in global economics was dispelled as well. In the fall of 2008, America’s economy collapsed causing a domino effect around the world. Again, Isaiah 24 reveals that the entire earth, all nations, are being judged and the people, regardless of their social status, will not be able to escape the economic crisis. Because people worldwide were personally effected by America’s economic breakdown, the reputation of America was not only damaged, but the admiration and high regard that many other nations had for America was replaced with feelings that ranged anywhere from outrage to contempt for America’s leaders.
For that reason, America has now found herself in the position of often following the lead of other nations – a humiliating position that many Americans would never have thought possible. Nonetheless, other nations have become the head and America the tail.
As already mentioned, spiritually, the timing of the terrorist attack on
America was linked to that of September 11, 1941 as well September 11,
1787. Again, the specific month and day
is significant because one of the places that the terrorists attacked was the
Pentagon. It was to the month and day
that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pentagon took place: September 11, 1941.
Two messages were being sent. First, by attacking the Twin Towers in New York, the message Osama bin Laden wanted to send was that he was targeting the heart of America’s economic system. Second, by attacking the Pentagon – the message he wanted to send was one of the ways he hoped to bring about an economic crises in America was for America to engage in a costly war in the Middle East. Just as the Twin Towers collapsed in 2001, America’s economic system collapsed in 2008. It was after the 2001 terrorist attack on America that America did go to war by invading Iraq. This war has been very costly for America, not only financially, but in the loss of lives – just as many lives were lost in the terrorist attack. The Twin Towers was meant to be symbolic of our economy and the Pentagon was meant to be symbolic of our military.
Obviously, Osama bin Laden had an acute awareness of what he was doing. Because of America’s present-day economic crisis, the terrorist organization, al-Qaeda, has declared that they have been vindicated in their attacks on America. This begs the question: How could Osama bin Laden be so on the mark?
Using the Enemy as an Instrument of Judgment
Scripture reveals that at times the Lord used one nation to attack another nation that was in disobedience to Him (Jeremiah 51:1-2), even if that nation was not as righteous as the one being attacked (Habakkuk 1:12-13). Eventually, the nation that was the destroyer will, in turn, reap destruction as well (Habakkuk 3:14-16).
Scripture further reveals that it is God’s will that all men come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9); however, when mankind continues in its rebellion, then the Lord will let them reap what they have sown and it is at that point that the Lord will give them over to their own ways (Romans 1:22-23). When men sin, the result is that they will reap corruption.
Galatians 6 [8] For he who sows to his own flesh (lower
nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction,
but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
(Amplified Bible)
The Lord sets before us both blessings and curses; it is up to each one of us as individuals and nations to choose. Obedience reaps blessings and disobedience reaps curses. (see Deuteronomy 27 & 28)
The Lord has many ways to achieve His purposes and at times, the Lord will even use Satan and the demonic to bring about His purposes. There comes a time when those who won’t receive the truth that the Lord will let Satan and the demonic deceive them or carry out the curses in Deuteronomy 28. For example, 1Kings 22 19-23 reveals that mankind is influenced by the spiritual realm. At times the demonic can influence mankind in a way that is beyond his control because it is at this point man is reaping from what he has sown.
1 Kings 22 [19] And he said, Hear thou therefore the word
of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven
standing by Him on His right hand and on His left. [20] And the Lord said, Who
shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said
on this manner, and another said on that manner. [21] And there came forth a
spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. [22] And the
Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a
lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, Thou shalt persuade
him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. [23] Now therefore, behold, the
Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the
Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.
According to Isaiah 54:16, God has created both the one who makes the weapons of war and those who use those weapons to destroy others.
Isaiah 54 [16] Behold, I have created the smith that
bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his
work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
America, as a nation, does not honor the Lord. There are many true Christians that live in America, but that doesn’t make America a righteous nation – it just means that there are righteous people living in America. Because America does not honor the Lord, America is reaping evil at the hands of our enemies: Osama bin Laden and the terrorist group al-Qaeda. However, Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda will, in turn, reap from their sins as well.
Spiritual Gateways – the Washington, DC Fish
Once it was decided that America’s new
seat of government would be geographically located in the South, George
Washington was authorized by the Founding Fathers to determine, independent of
others, the precise geographical location.
He was also authorized to oversee the development of our nation’s
Capital. Even though Thomas
Pierre Charles L’Enfant and Andrew Ellicott were among those who were employed by George Washington to lay out the geographical footprint of our nation’s capital. Per his directives, George Washington’s ideology was also incorporated into the Capitol building itself. Throughout America’s history, lawmakers and architects alike have ensured that this “spiritual footprint” not be altered. For example, memorials, monuments and so forth continued to be strategically placed in accordance with Washington’s original plans and ideology.
For this reason, I want to explore the symbolism of the original geographical diamond shaped perimeter of Washington, DC and the Mall area within the District that represents a fish. As will be shown, there are multiple spiritual links between the fish, the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 and America’s present economic crises.
To begin with, the Mall area is located within the image of a fish that is cradled between the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers located within the boundaries of Washington, DC. The symbolism of the fish that identifies the Mall area lying geographically within the enclosures of the city spiritually connects Washington, D.C. to the ancient city of Nineveh, however, not in the way that George Washington and those aligned with him envisioned, as will be explained further below.
Earlier photographs of Washington, DC
clearly portray the Capitol, White House, Lincoln and
Just as civilizations of antiquity used the symbol of a fish to identify spiritual gateways, so did our Founding Fathers. It was this spiritual gateway that the enemy entered into America and began their attack.
Symbolism of the
Washington, DC Fish
It is a well-known fact that George
Washington and Thomas
The outline of a fish was
incorporated into the original planning of Washington, D.C. by those employed
by George Washington and according to his ideology. In each succeeding generation, including
ours, there are those who have protected and continue to protect and ensure
that the original goals of George Washington were and will be implemented in
all future planning of our nation’s capital.
Therefore, this particular aerial photograph of Washington, D.C. is one of the
keys in understanding the “spiritual” aspects of the economic downfall of
America’s economy as well as the terrorist attack of September 11.
It’s obvious that the representation of a fish was not just happenstance. This is just another example to the degree of secrecy that George Washington and the Freemasons operated to serve their own purposes. If the boundaries of a fish are not just a fluke, then that leads us to believe that there was something of paramount significance in spiritually connecting the symbolism of a fish to the geographical area of the District of Columbia.
I found it remarkable that the White House, the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial and several other buildings all correspond to the anatomy of a fish. Given the lack of documentation, it is evident that the intent was for this symbolism to remain hidden, not only from the public, but according to Albert Pike, much of what went on in Freemasonry was hidden even from fellow Freemasons of the lower degrees. It would appear that within the fraternal order of Freemasonry there were those who were considered the elite.
What was the meaning or message they were conveying, yet hiding, not only about our Nation’s Capitol, but about themselves as well? Although symbols are open to interpretation, I would like to share some clearly identifiable, distinctive symbolism concerning the Washington, DC Mall area that could not just have been coincidental.
The anatomy of a fish contains several key parts. Starting at the top of the fish and proceeding clockwise, we find the following parts externally: a dorsal fin, caudal fin or tail, gills, and a head. Internally are the heart and reproductive organs. The symbolism of the fish is explained using the above aerial photograph annotated with key Washington, DC landmarks and buildings, as shown below.
On top of the fish is the dorsal fin. This is the part of the fish that lends stability in swimming. The dorsal fin is where the White House, the executive branch of government, is located and the White House, like the dorsal fin, lends stability to the legislative branch of our government.
The tail of the fish, also called the caudal fin, is the main propelling fin of the fish. This is the location of the U.S. Capitol that houses Congress, the legislative branch of government, and like the caudal fin, the legislative branch of our government is what propels America.
Representative of the gills, the breathing apparatus that takes water in and extracts oxygen for this fish, is the Tidal Basin. Just as the gills of a fish are located slightly behind the eye, the Tidal Basin is located slightly behind the eye on the map. The water in the Tidal Basin functions in the same manner as the water that goes in and out of the gills.
At the head of the fish where the brain is located is the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was designed architecturally to resemble the ancient Greek Parthenon in Athens, which was the shrine for the Greek goddess Athena, sometimes called the mind of god. Just as Athena was the mind of a pagan god and was born at the head of the river, Lincoln’s Memorial was geographically built in the head or mind of the fish with the head located on the Potomac River. Athena was also the goddess of wisdom and war, two characteristics of Lincoln’s presidency.
Two internal organs are also
represented. The hart of a fish is
located near and directly behind the gills of the fish. This is the location of the
Finally, the reproductive organs of the fish are found on the bottom of the fish near the tail, but extending diagonally inward to the center of the fish. This is the exact location of the Washington Monument, an obelisk that is an ancient symbol of sun worship found in many ancient civilizations, including Babylon and Egypt. The sun was the giver of life to plants and man; in this context, the obelisk was also the phallic symbol of reproductive significant. George Washington, of course, is affectionately known as the “father of our country” and his phallic symbol is right where it should be.
This examination only scratches the surface of the fish’s symbolism. For example, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica as well as some historians, “L’Enfant’s ideas for a capital city were based not on 13 colonies with 3,000,000 inhabitants, but on a republic ultimately having 50 states and 500,000,000 citizens.”[33] As a “timely” point of interest, according to the Census Bureau’s “Population Clock”, as of Tuesday, October 17, 2006, the United States population reached the 300 million mark at 7:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.[34] The 300 million mark is only 200 million shy of L’Enfant’s 500,000,000 estimate, which no doubt will eventually be realized.
Given L’Enfant’s vision in 1790 of 50 states, it is interesting that a fish has 49 to 53 scales that make up the lateral line of a fish, but the most common are 50 or 51 scales. The lateral line of a fish, which extends from the top of the gills to the tail, corresponds to the location of the Mall with its straight line extending from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol. America has 50 states and with the addition of the District of Columbia the total is 51.
In the tail of the fish is Capitol Hill, an ancient “high place” where the Algonquian Indians used to hold their tribal councils. The Capitol grounds are in the shape of a goat’s head, symbolic of Satan. In Masonic symbolism, they intended the nation to be propelled (caudal fin) by Satan, not God. And the list goes on.
Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of Treasury from 1795 to 1800, even compared the residents of DC to a bad fish. “Many Congressmen turned up their noses and wondered how long it would take to write off a bad experiment in capital location and begin again. Oliver Wolcott, the Secretary of the Treasury, possibly noting the absence of any source of taxes, observed that ‘the people are poor, and as far as I can judge, they live like fishes, by eating each other,’”[35]
Three Principalities over Washington, DC
Exodus 20 [4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of any
thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth:
Freemasons often use one symbol to convey more than one idea (or spirit) while at the same time achieving a particular objective that involves multiple concepts or beliefs. So it was with the image of the fish. Spiritually, the symbol of the fish corresponds to three different principalities from among the hordes that fell with Satan: Leviathan, Dagon and Rahab.
1. Leviathan,
a. Scriptural Reference: Scriptures concerning the Leviathan can be found in Job 3:8, Job 26:13; Job 41:1-34, Psalms 74:13-14, Psalms 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1.
b. Symbolism: a large twisted and coiled sea monster or serpent. Also a symbol of Babylon and interestingly, this principality is concerned with lending and borrowing! Leviathan is also “king of pride”
c. Legal Access to operate in America: covetousness, greed, pride, debt, unethical lending and borrowing
2. Dagon,
a. Scriptural Reference: 1 Samuel 5
b. Symbolism: Dagon was a fish-god, an object of idolatry worshiped by the Philistines
c. Legal Access to operate in America: idolatry and synchronistic
worship
3. Rahab,
a. Scriptural Reference (NIV & Amplified): Job 9:13, Job 26:12, Isaiah 30:7
b. Symbolism: Rahab was symbolic of a dragon or a large sea monster. The word Rahab means to be proud and arrogant and is a poetic reference to Egypt.
c. Legal Access to operate in America: pride and boasting (arrogance)
All three of these principalities are within the dominion of the Beast Out of the Sea, which is the Antichrist spirit. All three are among the ruling principalities over the city of Washington, D.C. and their influence can be evidenced not only in our nation’s capital, but throughout America. All three principalities gained legal access in America at its very inception and have grown stronger as the sins of America have been filled to the brim.
The word, Leviathan, means twisted or coiled. However, Leviathan comes from a primitive root that means “to borrow as a form of obligation” or “to lend” in the sense that that the one who borrows “joins himself” to the lender. Moreover, Leviathan “is a king over all the children of pride” (Job 41:34) and “causes people to lend and borrow”.[36] In other words, the Leviathan has spiritual dominion over anyone who is prideful and embraces covetousness practices. For that reason it is able to operate through people’s sin of pride and greed “causing” people and nations to lend and borrow. When their sins of pride and greed are filled to the brim, then the result is personal and global fear, chaos and confusion that we are witnessing at the present time, which are all manifestations of the Leviathan spirit.
Scripture reveals that no one who has ever battled with Leviathan will want to do so again. (Job 41:1-9 & 34) This is the global consensus today of all those who have dared to arouse Leviathan – albeit from a carnal perspective.
In Job 3:8, the King James translation refers to “mourning” while the NIV translation uses the word “Leviathan”. Both translations are correct in that one of the Hebrew meanings for the word Leviathan also means mourning. The Leviathan is also a spirit of confusion and chaos. Confusion, chaos and mourning are exactly what the world witnessed when the airplanes flew into the Twin Towers, considered to be the heart of America’s economic power – “America’s Economic Leviathan”. In other words, the spirit of Leviathan was unmistakably the principality operating behind the events of September 11th.
Leviathan
and Judgment
From the beginning, Osama bin Laden maintained that part of his strategy
for attacking America on September 11th was to engage America in an
on-going conflict in the Middle East and that this conflict, as wars go, would
require a tremendous amount of money. Consequently,
America would find herself with an enormous war debt. In turn, this war debt would have a negative
impact on America’s economic well-being.
Not surprisingly, those in Osama bin Laden’s camp now feel vindicated
because of America’s profound economic crises, which is causing internal
conflicts as well as global.
It has often been stated that history repeats itself and in America,
history has been repeated concerning war debts.
For example, at the end of the Revolutionary War the newly founded
America was faced with an alarming war debt.
Furthermore, America’s war debts from subsequent wars continued to add
fuel to America’s other existing and increasing economic debts. Just as the war debts that came as a result
of the Revolutionary War, today’s war debts have a tremendous effect on the
general population.
When the colonists won the Revolutionary War they believed that the new
nation of America was founded on liberty and liberty for all – after all that’s
what they were fighting for. Yet, this
ideology proved to be not so. At its
inception, America was steeped in national debts incurred from the very war
that liberated them from England. This
national debt took precedence over liberty and liberty for all. The colonists may have been liberated from
England and the taxes imposed upon them by the mother country, however, those
who fought in the Revolutionary War to gain that liberation found out that they
had not been liberated from their own countrymen and taxes here in America
Sadly, many who fought in the Revolutionary War were never paid for
their services and found themselves in debt, unable to pay personal taxes let
alone any additional taxes that were imposed upon them to pay for the war
debts. As a result, the very government
they helped establish actually confiscated their property for non-payment of
taxes. It seems that America was
founded more on the principal of debt than on the true meaning of liberty –
after all, actions speak louder than the words that only express ideology.
History further bears witness that America’s new government exploited
their poor in an effort to pay off the war debts of the Revolutionary War when
they placed a tax on those who manufactured whiskey. After fighting a war based on taxation
without representation, those who manufactured liquor in colonial America were
now being taxed to pay off the debt incurred during the Revolutionary War – a
tax that was impossible for most of them to pay. While those like George Washington actually
had the money to pay the tax levied on the whiskey they made, the poor people
did not. In fact, the whiskey itself was
used in place of cash to pay their debts because of the lack of real
currency.
It seems that Osama bin Laden understood more about America’s history
(and spiritual openings) than America’s own government. Needless to say, the real battle is in the
spiritual realm.
The Lord began to speak to me concerning the Leviathan as early as September 7, 2001. Revelation 18 speaks of the fall of Babylon within one hour.[37] It was within one hour that both towers of the World Trade Center, the seat of America’s finances, were fatally attacked.
Pride goes before the Fall. As noted above, Leviathan is known as “the king of pride”. The World Trade Center, located in the Financial District in lower Manhattan, was considered the heart of America’s economic power. America took pride that they were the model for nations worldwide when it came to economics, money, free trade, lending and borrowing. However, there is a Biblical principal that pride goes before the fall:
Proverbs 16 [18] Pride goeth
before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
As of September 2008, America has been humbled because of the economic meltdown that started in America and subsequently affected the economies of other nations.
As already mentioned, the root meaning of the word Leviathan
has to do with lending and borrowing – more specifically, to lend and borrow as a “form of obligation”. In this sense, spiritual cords are formed
between lender and borrow that allows the spirit of Leviathan to operate. These spiritual cords can be between individuals
as well as nations, as was the case with the World Trade Center.
Leviathan twists and braids things or people together, to join oneself to another in a bad sense. In other words, when Leviathan is behind lending and borrowing, then Leviathan becomes the binding force that binds things together, including people. Now when this spirit has been clearly identified by the Lord as the Leviathan, then we need to pray for discernment as to how the Leviathan is binding things or people together. In other words, what is the spiritual opening that has given this spirit legal access?
Not all lending and borrowing is wrong. When done according to Biblical principals, lending and borrowing is permissible. However, America did not lend or borrow according to Biblical principles and it was for that reason, as well as America’s pride and greed, that Satan was able to enter into the gates of America to attack geographical areas that are symbolic of pride and greed.
Lamentations 4 [12] The kings of the earth, and all the
inhabitants of the world, would
not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of
Jerusalem.
I want to point out that even when Satan has legal access, the adversary can only enter the gates of a country and attack when he is being used as the Lord’s instrument. God is always in control of any given situation – not Satan.
Proverbs 22 [7] The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs 22:7 is a good example of the Leviathan binding the borrower to the lender. Both lender and borrower are willingly joined together by a binding agreement. The focus is on the one who borrows because to borrow is a form of obligation. For example, all future decisions by the borrower must be made in consideration of the effect those actions will have on his debt. The lender, since he has invested in your life, has a legal right to some type of supervision over your life to protect his investment. Decisions now need to be made with the mindset to protect and to pay back the debt. Leviathan can operate in this type of a situation. The Leviathan's strength is in its ability to bind itself to people and to things, and one of the ways he can work is through debt.
This may be why the Lord is speaking to so many of His people to be aware of the Biblical principles of lending and borrowing. For example, when we lend to our brethren we are not to charge usury. Furthermore, if our brother fails to pay back a loan, then according to 1Corinthians 6:1-8, we are not to take him to court. Instead, we are to suffer the loss.
Scripture records that the Leviathan is a spirit that is very difficult to battle, as world leaders are finding out. In Job 41, the Lord inquires of Job if Job can deal with the Leviathan. Job 41:8 indicates that those who do battle with Leviathan will remember the battle and not do so again. Scripture also indicates that the usual way of warfare is not necessarily the way we are to war against Leviathan. If that is the case, then how are we to take authority over this spirit?
To deal with Leviathan, the source of binding needs to be discerned. Once the source is identified, then that sin needs to be dealt with. In other words, we need to let the Lord deal with that area of our life and bring it into correction. For example, if pride is the source of binding with this spirit, then pride needs to be addressed. If borrowing or lending is the source, then we need to let the Lord deal with us in that area also.
The strength that Leviathan has is in its ability to bind people together so that they are under obligation to each other and through that obligation, place themselves under the power of Leviathan. If lending and borrowing are the source of binding, then to have authority over Leviathan and free oneself from that spirit, the source of binding of either lending or borrowing needs to be severed. In other words, you should have no obligation of debt to anyone that is not according to Biblical principles.
The United States of America has an incredible national debt and I believe that the greed behind this debt, along with pride and the covetous sins of our forefathers, were the particular openings for the attack on September 11, 2001 and continue to be an opening.
President Bush’s belief that America is the shaping force in the world,
whether it is to establish democracies in other nations or to lead economically,
is a falsehood embraced by Americans overall.
However, this way of thinking is arrogant and has proven to be
deceptive. America as a nation and
Americans as individuals are being shaken financially because of their own
self-delusions, greed, usury, extortion, deception and unjust gains. America, as a nation, has been humbled before
the other nations who are now taking advantage of the economic crisis to
establish their own global authority over that of America.
Washington, DC, Ancient Nineveh and the Iraq
War
As detailed in other articles, George Washington and other contemporary Freemasons were so intrigued with the spirituality of ancient civilizations that they wanted to make a spiritual connection between these civilizations of antiquity and America. This ideology has been interwoven into the spiritual fabric of America using ideograms and iconography, the same methods used by ancient civilizations.
In Biblical times, ancient Nineveh, like Washington, DC, was also represented by the picture of a fish inside the enclosure of a city. According to The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, “The name of Nineveh is written Ninua and Nina in the cuneiform inscriptions. A popular etymology connected it with the Assyrian nunu, ‘fish,’ at a very early date, since the name is ideographically represented by the picture of a fish inside the enclosure of a city”. [38] Thus, the symbol of the fish can be understood as a “spiritual point of contact” between ancient Nineveh and Washington, D.C. – again, not in the way President Washington envisioned.
Spiritual points of contact are connected by “cords of sin” that are the result of man’s sins. These cords of sin are spiritual cords that the enemy is able to use to ensnare and bind up individuals or a nation.
Proverbs 5 [22] His own iniquities shall take the wicked
himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
Proverbs 5 [22] His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked
man, And he shall be held with the cords of his sin. (Amplified Bible)
When the sins of a nation are filled to the brim, these sins can be understood as the “cart rope” that the Prophet Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 5:18. In other words, the calamities that America is now facing are due to an accumulation of sins – not just one sin.
Isaiah 5 [18] Woe to those who draw [calamity] with cords
of iniquity and falsehood, who bring punishment to themselves with a cart rope
of wickedness. (Amplified Bible)
In
Jeremiah 48:32, Jeremiah describes the physical spread of vines, but he is also
speaking about the spiritual spreading of the vines. As it relates to America, the vine represents
the spiritual influence of the pagan cities of antiquity that our Founding
Fathers were influenced by and embraced.
These vines of influence that make up the spiritual cords that our
Founding Fathers used to reach across the sea to connect America to the ancient
cities of antiquity are the influence of the Antichrist spirit. They have yet to be severed and are the cords
through which the Antichrist spirit is operating.
Jeremiah 48 [32] O vines of Sibmah, I weep for you more than the weeping of
Jazer [over its ruins and wasted vineyards].
Your tendrils [of influence] have gone over the sea, reaching even to
Jazer. The destroyer has fallen upon
your summer fruit harvest and your [season’s] crops of grapes. (Amplified Bible)
The spiritual consequence of these vines described by Jeremiah is that the destroyer will fall upon their harvest. This is exactly what we are witnessing here in America with the war in Iraq. The connection, of course, is that Iraq is the location of ancient Nineveh and is why the enemy was able to operate through the spiritual cords that join America to ancient Nineveh.
It was in Mosul, present day Nineveh, that American soldiers killed Saddam Hussein’s two sons, Odai and Qusai, in 2003. Many Americans, as well as Iraqis, celebrated their deaths. However, other sons were killed in Mosul as well; sons of Americans and Americans were not celebrating the death of their sons as many Iraqis were. Not surprisingly, Mosul has proven to be one of the more difficult and challenging combat zones for Americans fighting in Iraq.
The
spiritual vines the prophet Jeremiah spoke of continues to reach across the sea
connecting America to the ancient city of Nineveh:
“In 2005, the State Department and Sister Cities
International announced that the Philadelphia IVC would be linked with
Mosul in its Partners for Peace Program… IVC provided humanitarian aid and
brought members of Mosul’s City Council to Philadelphia to learn about state
and local government in a democracy.” [39]
Sister
cities or “town twinning” was a concept begun abroad and was embraced by
Americans under President Dwight Eisenhower.
The idea was to pair an American city with an international city to
spread America’s political influence abroad as well as learning about the
varying cultures of international communities.
There is a spiritual aspect behind the twinning of two international sites. Twinning indicates that the two cities are to be closely related, joined or connected in ways that will bring them together in a close relationship. In other words, they are to be “twined” or “twisted” together. Twined comes from the root word “twin” and indicates that at least two (twin) of something are twisted together to form the twine. For example, Philadelphia and Mosul are twisted together to form one string of twine or spiritually speaking, a spiritual cord or vine that reaches across the sea.
However,
our Founding Fathers also meant for the vines (spiritual cords) to serve
another purpose. It is through these
spiritual vines that Satan is operating to bring to fruition the words spoken
by James Wilson on September 11, 1787 when he prophesied to the Pennsylvania
legislature, “…that the new federal government would ‘lay a foundation for
erecting temples of liberty in every part of the earth.’”
President
Bush and his administration were adamant in their attempts to erect a temple of
liberty in Iraq. At the expense of many
lives, their foreheads were set like flint in their goal to replace Saddam
Hussein’s form of government with America’s form of democracy and liberty. All this was in the hopes that the influence
of democracy, like a vine, would spread throughout Iraq and continue to spread
throughout the rest of the Middle East.
However,
these spiritual chords work both ways.
For example, the influence of Islam has indeed reached the shores of
America. Islam is now an accepted
religion in America and its spiritual roots are rapidly spreading throughout
all of America.
Fill
up, then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim so that nothing may be
wanting to a full measure: The sins of idolatry and paganism added to
the sins of our forefathers. Fill up,
then, the measure of your father’s sins to the brim so that nothing may be
wanting to a full measure. President
Bush may have made history by publicly acknowledging Islam in his inaugural
address, but he certainly was not the first United States President to have
spiritual cords linking America to the Middle East countries with their
Antichrist beliefs. Nonetheless, it
seems that the sins of President Bush were the sins that filled the brim and
tipped the scales for America. This
opened the door for the Antichrist spirits behind Islam to attack America in
2001 and prompted America in March of 2003 to decide to invade Iraq, thus
entering into what has proven to be a very costly invasion, both economically
and in lives lost.
Spiritual Paths of
Judgment
The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 was allowed by the Lord along very specific spiritual paths. Following are the Scriptural basis for these paths and a description of the “spiritual cords” along these paths.
The Lord Leveled and made a Straight Path for
His Anger
Psalm 78 [49] He cast upon them the
fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil
angels among them. [50] He made a way to His anger; He spared not their soul
from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
“He made a way” is also translated “He leveled and made a straight path
for His anger”. In other words, the
“evil angels” could not attack at random – they could only travel and attack on
the “straight path” that the Lord made.
The enemy was given access to specific paths because of the spiritual
cords that were created as a result of the sins of America’s Founding
Fathers. The straight path or “spiritual lines” that the enemy had
legal access to travel on when the terrorist attacked America on September 11th
was Path 11, Path 77 and Path 40.44.
Path 11, 77 and 40.44
Path 11 & New York – America’s
11th State
The first airplane that struck on September 11th was flight number
11. This particular flight struck the
North Tower of the World Trade Center located in New York – America’s 11th
state to enter the Union.
Path 11 & September 11, 1787
On September 11, 1787, jurist and signer of the Declaration of
Independence, James Wilson, in an address before the Pennsylvania legislature,
prophesied that the new federal government would lay a foundation for erecting
temples of liberty in every part of the earth.
This prophecy regarding “Temples of Liberty”, America’s new secular
religion, was opposed to the Lord. This prophecy was given in Pennsylvania and
is only one of the points of contact for the flight from New Jersey to crash in
Pennsylvania.
Path 11 & the Pentagon
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Pentagon occurred on September 11,
1941, 60 years to the day and month that flight 77 flew into the Pentagon.
Path 77 & the Pentagon
The Pentagon, one of the targets of the September 11th attack,
is located on 77 degrees West Longitude and it was American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon.
Path 77 & Lot 77
On May 15, 1753, George Washington purchased Lot 77 located in
Winchester, Virginia where he was elected to his first public office. Thirty-seven years later on July 16, 1790, the Residence Act
was passed calling for a federal city now known as Washington, DC. George Washington selected the site for our
Nation’s Capitol, which is located on Longitude 77.
Path 77 & Longitude 77
Washington, DC was deliberately located on Longitude 77 and
intentionally oriented towards a star known as Sirius (the Dog Star), the same
star which the ancient Egyptians oriented their temples.
Path 77 & Sirius
At the World Trade Center, the only police dog to be killed in the
September 11th attack was a 4 year old Golden Lab by the name of
Sirius.
Path 77 & Personal Revenge
Satan’s Revenge: Psalm 44 [15] My disgrace is before me all day long, and
my face is covered with shame [16] at the taunts of those who reproach and
revile me, because of the enemy, who is
bent on revenge.
Biblical 77:
Genesis 4 [24] If Cain is
avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.
The enemy’s targets were not at random.
Even though it was the Lord who allowed the enemy to attack America, the
attack still was one of Personal Revenge for the enemy. To understand fully the connection between
the number 77 and Satan’s revenge, we have to go back to our spiritual roots
that were laid down in St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 when a Huguenot by the
name of Jean Ribault was martyred. Jean
Ribault willingly laid down his life for the Lord for the purposes of
establishing a habitation for the Lord to be worshipped in spirit and
truth. Before he was killed, he was
given a choice to repent and go back to Catholicism. Instead, he said no and moments before he was
killed he quoted Psalm 132 going into covenant with the Lord establishing
America as a habitation for the Lord. (see
article titled: The Spiritual Roots of America and
the French Huguenots)
The point that I want to make is that Ribault was a Huguenot and if the
spiritual roots of America were laid down by a Huguenot, then Satan would take
his revenge through someone generationally connected to the Huguenots to lay
down his counterfeit spiritual roots.
Think in terms of Satan’s hatred for Israel and you will understand that
he also had a hatred towards the Huguenots in regard to America. It would then make sense that the man who was
responsible for choosing the site for our Nation’s Capitol would in some way be
generationally connected to the Huguenots and George Washington was a
descendant of a Huguenot. However, we
should not confuse the status of being a descendant of a Huguenot with actually
being a Huguenot. A Huguenot was a way
of life and a commitment to God, not something to be inherited.
With that understanding, the connection with Lot 77 purchased by George
Washington in Winchester, Virginia, the very location of his first Public
Office makes sense. It doesn’t mean that
George Washington fully understood the spiritual significance of what he was
doing when he purchased that particular lot number, although all things
considered, I believe that he did know.
It does, however, suggest that he was influenced when he purchased the
lot: Job 26:4…And whose spirit
[inspired what] came forth from you. (Amplified Bible) We know from documents that those who were
working closely with George Washington were using divination when the Nation’s
Capitol was laid down. We also know that
he was of the highest degree of Masons and it is no secret at that time in
history that the Masons were involved with the occult.
Personal Forgiveness: As Christians,
our response to personal revenge should be forgiveness. It is important to remember that our battle
is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his kingdom. Our forgiveness is to be “times without
number” and we are commanded to forgive and bless our enemies. Matthew 18[21] Then Peter came to Jesus
and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against
me? Up to seven times? [22] Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven
times, but seventy-seven times.
Path 77 & the White House
American Airlines Flight 77, operating from Washington Dulles, was the
flight that crashed into the Pentagon.
It has been reported that the Air Flight Controllers indicated that
Flight 77 was on a direct path to the White House, however turned towards and
struck the Pentagon. The significance of
this is that The White House, The US Capitol, The Washington Monument, The Pentagon, The Meridian Stone and
the Zero Milestone are all located on the Meridian Line at 77 degrees west longitude.
Why didn't the terrorists strike the White House? Because, Satan is still under the authority
of Yahweh and it was the Lord who stopped the enemy from hitting the White
House. However, the enemy still had
legal access to strike somewhere along the 77 degrees west longitude and that
location as we now know was The Pentagon.
Keep in mind that this 77 is one of two points of contact concerning the
Pentagon (the attack on America was on September 11, 2001 and the
groundbreaking for the Pentagon was on September 11, 1941)
Psalm 78 [49] He let loose upon them the
fierceness of His anger, His wrath and indignation and distress, by sending [a
mission of] angels of calamity and woe among them. [50] He
leveled and made a straight path for His anger [to give it free course];
He did not spare [the Egyptian families] from death but gave their beasts over
to the pestilence and the life [of their eldest] over to the plague. (Amplified Bible)
Straight Paths: The Masons
strategically placed streets and buildings in Washington, DC to symbolically
line up with the stars. (see The Secret Architecture of our Nation’s
Capital by David Ovason). The White House, US Capitol, Washington
Monument and Pentagon were all strategically
placed on the longitude of 77 degrees west by the Masons. Each of these structures were lined up to
correspond with the stars, the constellations and the rising of the sun for the purposes of pagan worship. In other words, “straight paths” can also be
thought of in terms of “spiritual lines” – it is
on these spiritual lines that the enemy attacks.
“So in the dead of winter 1791 Ellicott begins his survey, assisted by
astronomer Benjamin Banneker,...
Sighting on stars, they find the district's latitude and longitude and
determine its boundary.”[40]
“As Banneker witnessed the predicted eclipse,
he would have known full well that the ancients had always insisted that such a
cosmic event would have a profound influence upon earthly events. He would have
known, too, that the nature of that influence would depend upon the planetary
patterns in the skies at the time when the eclipse took place.” [41]
Path 40.44 and the United States Capitol/Pennsylvania
It was believed and later confirmed that the destination of United
Airlines Flight 93 was the US Capitol. Flight
93 departed from Newark, New Jersey, latitude 40.44 degrees, and buried in one
of the four cornerstones of the US Capitol is $40.44 in coins that came from
the mint in Pennsylvania, the state where Flight 93 crashed.
Normally a building has only one cornerstone; however, due to ongoing
expansion, the US Capitol has four cornerstones. Keeping in mind that one of the purposes of a
time capsule is to indicate the purpose of that particular structure, I find it
of interest that the time capsule buried in the cornerstone of the US Capitol
in 1851 contained $40.44 in coins from the Philadelphia mint [42].
The $40.44 in coins seemed like such an odd amount that I had always
wondered as to the significance.
However, when the September 11th attack on America occurred, the
symbolism and significance of the $40.44 began to come to light. Flight 93 that was hijacked from Newark, New Jersey crashed
approximately 62 miles southeast of Pittsburgh before reaching its intended
target. Interestingly, Pittsburgh’s latitude
is 40.44 and the latitude of Newark,
New Jersey is 40.44 – equal to the same amount of coins buried
underneath the US Capitol. The Center latitude of New York City is also 40
degrees 44 N. Again, it was the
Masons who determined the exact locations of all the structures in our Nation's
Capitol.
Even though the terrorists on Flight 93 failed in their mission, it is
significant that they crashed on the 40 degree latitude line. In other words, the enemy had legal access
somewhere along this 40 degree latitude line.
Conclusion
We know
that Scripture reveals that if a nation repents of their sins, the Lord will
forgive their sin and will heal their land (Leviticus 26:40-42 & 2
Chronicles 7:14-15). Thankfully, after
400 years, America acknowledged her sins of slavery. Barack Obama’s nomination as the Democratic
Party’s presidential candidate started bringing healing to America. If as President he carries through on his
campaign promise to bring American soldiers home from the war in Iraq that will
bring even further healing to America.
Leviticus
26:38-42 reveals that because of the sins of their fathers, the Lord sent the
Israelites into the land of their enemies.
I believe one of the reasons why America is involved in the war in Iraq
goes all the way back to the sins of slavery in America. Could the sins of our forefathers in our own
Civil War explain why America is so entangled in the civil war going on in Iraq
– the land of the heathen and America’s enemy?
In wars
of aggression such as World War II, America generally prevails. However, in wars where America tries to
establish a democratic form of government in countries involved in civil war,
we largely fail. Vietnam was a good
example of this. After Saddam Hussein
was toppled in Iraq, the country fell into civil war and it is still in that
condition. While the final outcome of
the Iraqi war is yet to be determined, it has the unmistakable signs of a
failure similar to Vietnam.
These
same verses in Leviticus 26:38-42 also offer hope. When we humble ourselves and confess our
sins, the Lord will remember the land.
The sins of slavery have been confessed, and Barack Obama, an African
American, may be the one to bring Americans home from the war in Iraq. Time will tell and in due course, as the Lord
allows events to unfold, we will gain more understanding into what He has
already revealed.
Hope in the Lord!
As Christians, our hope is in the Lord – and there is hope for America! Even though the Lord deals with the sins of a nation, Scripture declares that, “if they shall confess their sins and the sins of their forefathers and accept the punishment of their iniquity” then God will heal their land (Leviticus 26:39-42). 2 Chronicles 7:14 confirms this hope in the Lord:
2 Chronicles 7 [14] If My people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land.
Isaiah 24:14 reveals that a righteous remnant will survive the economic crisis. Even though the nation as a whole will bear the consequences of the sins of their fathers, there is provision for those of us who, on an individual basis, confess the sins of our forefathers and walk according to the precepts of God and not in the ways of those forefathers who were rebellious. (Ezekiel 18, Ezekiel 33)
Interestingly, America is in a situation where on one hand, the sins of our forefathers have been acknowledged, yet on the other hand, other sins have not been acknowledged. While the sins of our English forefathers concerning slavery and Native American Indians were acknowledged in 2007 on the levels they were committed, personal, state, national and international, the same sins perpetrated by the Spanish Conquistadors have yet to be acknowledged on the national and international levels. (See articles on Jamestown: America’s First English Colony, and The American Crusade)
When Knowledge Becomes
Pleasant to the Soul
Whatever a country reaps, whether curses or blessings, depends upon whether they acknowledge sins or not. Whatever a country reaps is also dependent on the specific sins they do or do not acknowledge. Other national sins, such as greed and idolatry, have not been acknowledged. Because the Lord deals with the sins of a nation as they reach their full measure, each in its own proper time, and because those sins have not been acknowledged, America’s enemies have entered into our gates.
The government rests on the shoulders of the Lord (Isaiah 9). He established all governments (Romans 13); therefore, should He not discipline those nations when they trespass that very law that is written on everyone’s heart (Romans 2)?
Psalm 94 [10] He
who disciplines and instructs the nations, shall He not punish, He Who teaches
man knowledge?
Should America not be disciplined for their covetous practices and merchandising, trafficking that leads to violence or elevating Islam, atheism and other religions to the level of Christianity? God being a righteous God cannot ignore those nations who violate His commands. He will judge according to that very law that His government rests on! Those nations as well as individuals who believe that the Lord will ignore their sins will come to understand that this way of thinking is futile and nothing other than vanity (Psalm 94:7-11).
Yes,
America is reaping from what we as a nation have sown. However, it is also important to understand
that part of God’s chastening is to teach man knowledge. In other words, part of God’s chastening is
designed to bring individual Americans as well as the nation itself into
correction – and that is a worthwhile lesson.
Although chastening never seems pleasant at the time, it is the teaching
and the correction that the Lord wants America as a nation to make that is
meaningful and it is the knowledge of why God is chastening America that is
pleasant to the soul (Proverbs 2:10).
The Enemy Will Enter Into the Gates of America Again
The measure of our forefather’s sins are rapidly filling up to the brim and when the full measure is reached – America’s gates are going to be open to a possible devastating “ground invasion” by the terrorists Americans so fear.
Lamentations 4 [11] The Lord hath accomplished his fury; He hath poured
out His fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. [12] The kings of the earth, and all the
inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. (emphasis
added)
Again, just as the kings of the earth and inhabitants of the world in Lamentations mistakenly believed that the gates of Jerusalem were fortified against any possible attack from the enemy – Americans as well as people around the world were astonished when America’s enemies entered into the gates of America and successfully attacked our country on September 11, 2001. How much more so their astonishment when America is once again attacked?
To their own detriment and to the detriment of all Americans, our lawmakers have led Americans to believe that because of all the security measures they as lawmakers are taking that another terrorist attack on America will be prevented. However, you cannot fight a spiritual battle with the carnal weapons of a politician. Rather, of all Americans, it is the lawmaker’s continuance of sins that are filling up the brim to its full measure that will open our gates to the terrorist once more to successfully attack America in what may be a devastating ground invasion.
© Gwen Thomas, 2001, 2003, Revised July, 2009
Appendix A – Text of President Obama’s June 4, 2009 Cairo Speech
(Emphasis has been added to key points)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office
of the Press Secretary
(Cairo, Egypt)
________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
June 4, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON A NEW BEGINNING
Cairo
University
Cairo, Egypt
1:10 P.M. (Local)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you very much. Good afternoon. I am
honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable
institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon
of Islamic learning; and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source
of Egypt's advancement. And together, you represent the harmony between
tradition and progress. I'm grateful for your hospitality, and the
hospitality of the people of Egypt. And I'm also proud to carry with me
the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim
communities in my country: Assalaamu alaykum. (Applause.)
We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and
Muslims around the world -- tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond
any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West
includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict and
religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that
denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which
Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to
their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity
and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the
traditions of Islam.
Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but
potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11, 2001 and the
continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians
has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to
America and Western countries, but also to human rights. All this has
bred more fear and more mistrust.
So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we
will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict
rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and
prosperity. And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end.
I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the
United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and
mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not
exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and
share common principles -- principles of justice and progress; tolerance and
the dignity of all human beings.
I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. I
know there's been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech
can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this
afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I
am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other
the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed
doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn
from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As
the Holy
Koran tells us, "Be
conscious of God and speak always the truth." (Applause.) That
is what I will try to do today -- to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by
the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human
beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.
Now part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I'm a Christian, but
my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a
boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the
break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As
a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace
in their Muslim faith.
As a student of
history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam
-- at places like Al-Azhar -- that
carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and
Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities -- (applause) -- it was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic
compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our
understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic
culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and
cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful
contemplation. And throughout
history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of
religious tolerance and racial equality.
(Applause.)
I also know that
Islam has always been a part of America's story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our
second President, John Adams, wrote,
"The United States has in itself no
character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims."
And since our founding, American
Muslims have enriched the United States.
They have fought in our wars, they have served in our government, they have
stood for civil rights, they have started businesses, they have taught at our
universities, they've excelled in our sports arenas, they've won Nobel Prizes,
built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch. And when the first Muslim American was recently
elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same
Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers -- Thomas Jefferson -- kept in his personal library. (Applause.)
So I
have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was
first revealed. That experience
guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based
on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United
States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear. (Applause.)
But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of
America. (Applause.) Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype,
America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The
United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world
has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire.
We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed
blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words -- within our
borders, and around the world. We are shaped by every culture, drawn from
every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept: E pluribus
unum -- "Out of many, one."
Now, much has been
made of the fact that an African American with the name Barack Hussein Obama
could be elected President. (Applause.) But
my personal story is not so unique. The dream of opportunity for all
people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for
all who come to our shores -- and that includes nearly 7 million American
Muslims in our country today who, by the way, enjoy incomes and educational
levels that are higher than the American average. (Applause.)
Moreover, freedom in
America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion.
That is why there is a mosque in every state in our union, and over 1,200 mosques within our borders.
That's why the United States government has gone to court to protect the right
of women and girls to wear the hijab and to punish those who would deny
it. (Applause.)
So let there be no doubt: Islam
is a part of America. And I believe that America holds within her the truth
that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common
aspirations -- to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work
with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. These
things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.
Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning
of our task. Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These
needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we
understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them
will hurt us all.
For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial
system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new
flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a
nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. When
violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered
across an ocean. When innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered,
that is a stain on our collective conscience. (Applause.) That is
what it means to share this world in the 21st century. That is the responsibility
we have to one another as human beings.
And this is a difficult responsibility to embrace. For human history has often been a record of
nations and tribes -- and, yes, religions -- subjugating one another in pursuit
of their own interests. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are
self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates
one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So
whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it. Our problems
must be dealt with through partnership; our progress must be shared.
(Applause.)
Now, that does not mean we should ignore sources of tension.
Indeed, it suggests the opposite: We must face these tensions
squarely. And so in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and as plainly
as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront
together.
The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in
all of its forms.
In Ankara, I made clear that America is not -- and never will be
-- at war with Islam. (Applause.) We will, however, relentlessly
confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security -- because
we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of
innocent men, women, and children. And it is my first duty as President
to protect the American people.
The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals, and
our need to work together. Over seven years ago, the United States
pursued al Qaeda and the Taliban with broad international support. We did
not go by choice; we went because of necessity. I'm aware that there's still
some who would question or even justify the events of 9/11. But let us be
clear: Al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims
were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who
had done nothing to harm anybody. And yet al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly
murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their
determination to kill on a massive scale. They have affiliates in many
countries and are trying to expand their reach. These are not opinions to
be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.
Now, make no mistake: We do not want to keep our troops in
Afghanistan. We see no military -- we seek no military bases there.
It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly
and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly
bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there
were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and now Pakistan determined to kill
as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case.
And that's why we're partnering with a coalition of 46
countries. And despite the costs involved, America's commitment will not
weaken. Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists. They
have killed in many countries. They have killed people of different
faiths -- but more than any other, they have killed Muslims. Their actions
are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations,
and with Islam. The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is
as -- it is as if he has killed all mankind. (Applause.) And the Holy Koran also says whoever saves a
person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. (Applause.) The
enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow
hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent
extremism -- it is an important part of promoting peace.
Now, we also know that military power alone is not going to
solve the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That's why we plan to
invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with
Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds
of millions to help those who've been displaced. That's why we are
providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and
deliver services that people depend on.
Let me also address the issue of Iraq. Unlike Afghanistan,
Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and
around the world. Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately
better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in
Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international
consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible. (Applause.)
Indeed, we can recall the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said: "I
hope that our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we
use our power the greater it will be."
Today, America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq
forge a better future -- and to leave Iraq to Iraqis. And I have made it
clear to the Iraqi people -- (applause) -- I have made it clear to the Iraqi
people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or
resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the
removal of our combat brigades by next August. That is why we will honor
our agreement with Iraq's democratically elected government to remove combat
troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by
2012. (Applause.) We will help Iraq train its security forces and
develop its economy. But we will support a secure and united Iraq as a
partner, and never as a patron.
And finally, just as America can never tolerate violence by
extremists, we must never alter or forget our principles. Nine-eleven was
an enormous trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked
was understandable, but in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our
traditions and our ideals. We are taking concrete actions to change
course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United
States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next
year. (Applause.)
So
America will defend itself, respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the
rule of law. And we will do so in partnership with Muslim communities which
are also threatened. The sooner the extremists are isolated and unwelcome
in Muslim communities, the sooner we will all be safer.
The second major source of tension that we need to discuss is
the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world.
America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This
bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and
the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic
history that cannot be denied.
Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries,
and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust.
Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where
Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third
Reich. Six million Jews were killed -- more than the entire Jewish
population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, it is
ignorant, and it is hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction -- or
repeating vile stereotypes about Jews -- is deeply wrong, and only serves to
evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing
the peace that the people of this region deserve.
On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian
people -- Muslims and Christians -- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland.
For more than 60 years they've endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait
in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of
peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure
the daily humiliations -- large and small -- that come with occupation.
So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is
intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate
Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their
own. (Applause.)
For decades then, there has been a stalemate: two peoples
with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise
elusive. It's easy to point fingers -- for Palestinians to point to the
displacement brought about by Israel's founding, and for Israelis to point to
the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its
borders as well as beyond. But if we see this conflict only from one side
or the other, then we will be blind to the truth: The only resolution is
for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis
and Palestinians each live in peace and security. (Applause.)
That is in Israel's interest, Palestine's interest, America's
interest, and the world's interest. And that is why I intend to
personally pursue this outcome with all the patience and dedication that the
task requires. (Applause.) The obligations -- the obligations that
the parties have agreed to under the road map are clear. For peace to come,
it is time for them -- and all of us -- to live up to our responsibilities.
Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through
violence and killing is wrong and it does not succeed. For centuries, black people in America
suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation.
But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. It was a peaceful
and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America's
founding. This same story can be told by people from South Africa to
South Asia; from Eastern Europe to Indonesia. It's a story with a simple
truth: that violence is a dead end. It is a sign neither of courage
nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old women on a
bus. That's not how moral authority is claimed; that's how it is
surrendered.
Now is the time for Palestinians to focus on what they can
build. The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern,
with institutions that serve the needs of its people. Hamas does have support
among some Palestinians, but they also have to recognize they have
responsibilities. To play a role in fulfilling Palestinian aspirations,
to unify the Palestinian people, Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize
past agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist.
At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as
Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The
United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli
settlements. (Applause.) This construction violates previous
agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these
settlements to stop. (Applause.)
And Israel must also live up to its obligation to ensure that
Palestinians can live and work and develop their society. Just as it
devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza
does not serve Israel's security; neither does the continuing lack of
opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian
people must be a critical part of a road to peace, and Israel must take
concrete steps to enable such progress.
And finally, the Arab states must recognize that the Arab Peace
Initiative was an important beginning, but not the end of their
responsibilities. The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to
distract the people of Arab nations from other problems. Instead, it must
be a cause for action to help the Palestinian people develop the institutions
that will sustain their state, to recognize Israel's legitimacy, and to choose
progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.
America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and
we will say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and
Arabs. (Applause.) We cannot impose peace. But privately,
many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away. Likewise, many
Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state. It is time for us to
act on what everyone knows to be true.
Too many tears have been shed. Too much blood has been
shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the
mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without
fear; when the Holy Land of the three great faiths is the place of peace that
God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is
a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for
all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of
Isra -- (applause) -- as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed,
peace be upon them, joined in prayer. (Applause.)
The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights
and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons.
This issue has been a source of tension between the United
States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. For many years, Iran has defined
itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is in fact a
tumultuous history between us. In the middle of the Cold War, the United
States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian
government. Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts
of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians. This
history is well known. Rather than remain trapped in the past, I've made
it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move
forward. The question now is not what Iran is against, but rather what
future it wants to build.
I recognize it will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but
we will proceed with courage, rectitude, and resolve. There will be many
issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward
without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect. But it is clear to
all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive
point. This is not simply about America's interests. It's about
preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region
and the world down a hugely dangerous path.
I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons
that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nation
holds nuclear weapons. And that's why I strongly reaffirmed America's
commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.
(Applause.) And any nation -- including Iran -- should have the right to
access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under
the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of
the treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I'm hopeful
that all countries in the region can share in this goal.
The fourth issue that I will address is democracy.
(Applause.)
I know -- I know there has been controversy about the promotion
of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the
war in Iraq. So let me be clear: No system of government can or should be
imposed by one nation by any other.
That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the
will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own
way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not
presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick
the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief
that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind
and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the
equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't
steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. These are not
just American ideas; they are human rights. And that is why we will
support them everywhere. (Applause.)
Now, there is no straight line to realize this promise.
But this much is clear: Governments that protect these rights are ultimately
more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in
making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and
law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with
them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments -- provided
they govern with respect for all their people.
This last point is important because there are some who advocate
for democracy only when they're out of power; once in power, they are ruthless
in suppressing the rights of others. (Applause.) So no matter where
it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single
standard for all who would hold power: You must maintain your power
through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and
participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the
interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process
above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make
true democracy.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Barack Obama, we love you!
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) The
fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom.
Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the
history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where
devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we
need today. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and
the heart and the soul. This tolerance is essential for religion to
thrive, but it's being challenged in many different ways.
Among some Muslims, there's a disturbing tendency to measure
one's own faith by the rejection of somebody else's faith. The richness
of religious diversity must be upheld -- whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon
or the Copts in Egypt. (Applause.) And if we are being honest,
fault lines must be closed among Muslims, as well, as the divisions between
Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.
Freedom
of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together.
We must always examine the ways in which we protect it. For instance, in the United States, rules
on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious
obligation. That's why I'm committed to working with American Muslims to
ensure that they can fulfill zakat.
Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid
impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit -- for
instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We can't
disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.
In fact, faith should bring us together. And that's why we're forging
service projects in America to bring together Christians, Muslims, and
Jews. That's why we welcome efforts like Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's
interfaith dialogue and Turkey's leadership in the Alliance of Civilizations.
Around the world, we can turn dialogue into interfaith service, so bridges
between peoples lead to action -- whether it is combating malaria in Africa, or
providing relief after a natural disaster.
The sixth issue -- the sixth issue that I want to address is
women's rights. (Applause.) I know –- I know -- and you can tell
from this audience, that there is a healthy debate about this issue. I
reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair
is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education
is denied equality. (Applause.) And it is no coincidence that
countries where women are well educated are far more likely to be prosperous.
Now, let me be clear: Issues of women's equality are by no
means simply an issue for Islam. In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Indonesia, we've seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead.
Meanwhile, the struggle for women's equality continues in many aspects of
American life, and in countries around the world.
I am convinced that our daughters can contribute just as much to
society as our sons. (Applause.) Our common prosperity will be
advanced by allowing all humanity -- men and women -- to reach their full
potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men
in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives
in traditional roles. But it should be their choice. And that is why the
United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded
literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through
micro-financing that helps people live their dreams. (Applause.)
Finally, I want to discuss economic development and opportunity.
I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory.
The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information, but also
offensive sexuality and mindless violence into the home. Trade can bring
new wealth and opportunities, but also huge disruptions and change in
communities. In all nations -- including America -- this change can bring
fear. Fear that because of modernity we lose control over our economic
choices, our politics, and most importantly our identities -- those things we
most cherish about our communities, our families, our traditions, and our
faith.
But I also know that human progress cannot be denied.
There need not be contradictions between development and tradition. Countries
like Japan and South Korea grew their economies enormously while maintaining
distinct cultures. The same is true for the astonishing progress within
Muslim-majority countries from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai. In ancient times
and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation
and education.
And this is important because no development strategy can be based only upon
what comes out of the ground, nor can it be sustained while young people are
out of work. Many Gulf states have enjoyed great wealth as a consequence
of oil, and some are beginning to focus it on broader development. But
all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of
the 21st century -- (applause) -- and in too many Muslim communities, there
remains underinvestment in these areas. I'm emphasizing such investment
within my own country. And while America in the past has focused on oil
and gas when it comes to this part of the world, we now seek a broader
engagement.
On education, we will expand exchange programs, and increase
scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America.
(Applause.) At the same time, we
will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities. And we will match promising Muslim students with
internships in America; invest in online learning for teachers and children
around the world; and create a new online network, so a young person in Kansas
can communicate instantly with a young person in Cairo.
On economic development, we will create a new corps of business
volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim-majority countries. And
I will host a Summit on Entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can
deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in
the United States and Muslim communities around the world.
On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support
technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer
ideas to the marketplace so they can create more jobs. We'll open centers
of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and
appoint new science envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources
of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, grow new
crops. Today I'm announcing a new global effort with the Organization of
the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio. And we will also expand
partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.
All these things must be done in partnership. Americans
are ready to join with citizens and governments; community organizations,
religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to
help our people pursue a better life.
The issues that I have described will not be easy to
address. But we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the
world that we seek -- a world where extremists no longer threaten our people,
and American troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are
each secure in a state of their own, and nuclear energy is used for peaceful
purposes; a world where governments serve their citizens, and the rights of all
God's children are respected. Those are mutual interests. That is
the world we seek. But we can only achieve it together.
I know there are many -- Muslim and non-Muslim -- who question
whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the
flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress. Some suggest
that it isn't worth the effort -- that we are fated to disagree, and
civilizations are doomed to clash. Many more are simply skeptical that real
change can occur. There's so much fear, so much mistrust that has built
up over the years. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will
never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people
of every faith, in every country -- you, more than anyone, have the ability to
reimagine the world, to remake this world.
All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The
question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or
whether we commit ourselves to an effort -- a sustained effort -- to find
common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect
the dignity of all human beings.
It's easier to start wars than to end them. It's easier to
blame others than to look inward. It's easier to see what is different
about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the
right path, not just the easy path. There's
one rule that lies at the heart of every religion -- that we do unto others as we would have
them do unto us. (Applause.) This truth transcends nations and
peoples -- a belief that isn't
new; that isn't black or white or brown; that isn't Christian or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of
civilization, and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world.
It's a faith in other people, and it's
what brought me here today.
We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have
the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
The Holy Koran tells
us: "O mankind! We have created you male and a
female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one
another."
The Talmud tells us:
"The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."
The Holy Bible tells
us: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be
called sons of God." (Applause.)
The people of the world can live together in peace. We
know that is God's vision. Now that must be our work here on Earth.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you. Thank
you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
2:05 P.M. (Local)
______________________________________________________________________________
Epilogue – President Obama’s Address to Congress September 9, 2009
The below Scripture and two paragraphs are copied from page 8 in the main article:
“Luke 7 [30] But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. [31] And the Lord said, “Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like? [32] They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.” (KJV, emphasis added)
For whatever reason, the
children could not agree or would not agree on what game to play. Interestingly, the games the two groups of
children are suggesting to one another are incompatible. One group of children wants to imitate a
wedding while the other group of children wants to imitate a funeral. One group of children pretends to be
rejoicing while the other group pretends to be in mourning.
Likewise, the fact that our
lawmakers here in America cannot agree on critical legislation is
childish. Like the children in Luke
7:31-32, their political agendas are incompatible. The Democrats mourn legislation the
Republicans rejoice over and vice versa, the Republicans mourn legislation over
which the Democrats rejoice. Whether it
is the Democrats or the Republicans, neither party genuinely seems to be
willing to work together. (see further
comments on this and the full text of President Obama’s address to a joint
session of congress in the Epilogue
of this paper)”
______________________________________________________________________________
After posting this article on “The Spiritual Roots of America’s Economic
Crisis”, which included the above Scripture and two paragraphs,
President Obama addressed a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday, September
9, 2009. Interestingly, in his address
President Obama refers to the childish behavior of America’s Lawmakers.
In the text of his speech President Obama acknowledges the
“bickering” and “games” that America’s lawmakers play. He said,
“Well, the time
for bickering is over. The time for
games has passed”.
Like the children in Luke 7:31-32 who wanted to celebrate,
the Democrats with joyful expressions repeatedly stood and applauded throughout
President Obama’s speech, while the Republicans remained seated with facial
expressions that clearly expressed their distress.
Interestingly, even before the President delivered his
speech, the media told the public what the public already knew: the Democrats would stand and applaud
throughout the President’s speech while the Republicans would remain seated to
show their opposition. In other words,
based on past experience, the public has come to accept and expect the childish
behavior and games that we witnessed on Wednesday night (Sept. 9th),
whether it is the Republicans or the Democrats.
However, the behavior of one Congressman was quite unexpected. Not that Joe Wilson’s outburst “You Lie” was
any less childish than the other childish behavior displayed – but apparently
even children come to some sort of agreement as to what is acceptable childish
behavior and what is unacceptable childish behavior.
While remaining seated and booing the President is not
considered disrespectable, to call out, “You Lie”, in the House Chamber was
considered disrespectable since the Lawmakers were the ones to invite President
Obama to speak in “their house”.
For that reason, Senior Republicans demanded Congressman
Wilson to apologize to President Obama for being disrespectful. Congressman Wilson did apologize – according
to him because he was ordered to – but not because he was really sorry. Interestingly, many Republicans as well as
Democrats who feel their honor is at stake are demanding that Congressman
Wilson also apologize to them on the House floor – a request he has turned a
deaf ear to.
Even though they don’t understand the spiritual principal
that lawmakers are like children, the media, many citizens and President Obama,
all compare them to children, albeit from a secular perspective.
In an editorial for the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson
states “Anyone who watched Wednesday night as President Obama explained his
health-care reform proposals to Congress saw a chief executive making what
sounded like a genuine appeal for bipartisanship – and his opponents behaving like a
bunch of spoiled first-graders.”[43] (emphasis added)
Ecclesiastes reveals that there is nothing new under the
sun – what has been will be again.
Needless to say, the Lord is the same yesterday, today and
tomorrow and that includes His Biblical principles. In other words, lawmakers will always act
like children!
Text of President Obama’s September 9, 2009 Address to Congress on Health Care [44]
(Emphasis has been added to key points)
THE
BRIEFING ROOM
THE
WHITE HOUSE
Office
of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate
Release
September 9, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS
ON HEALTH CARE
U.S.
Capitol
Washington, D.C.
8:16 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden,
members of Congress, and the American people:
When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst
economic crisis since the Great Depression. We were losing an average of
700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen. And our financial system
was on the verge of collapse.
As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay
their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods. A full
and vibrant recovery is still many months away. And I will not let up
until those Americans who seek jobs can find them -- (applause) -- until those
businesses that seek capital and credit can thrive; until all responsible
homeowners can stay in their homes. That is our ultimate goal. But
thanks to the bold and decisive action we've taken since January, I can stand
here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the
brink. (Applause.)
I want to thank the members of this body for your efforts and
your support in these last several months, and especially those who've taken
the difficult votes that have put us on a path to recovery. I also want
to thank the American people for their patience and resolve during this trying
time for our nation.
But we did not come here just to clean up crises. We came
here to build a future. (Applause.) So tonight, I return to speak
to all of you about an issue that is central to that future -- and that is the
issue of health care.
I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am
determined to be the last. (Applause.) It has now been nearly a
century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform. And
ever since, nearly every President and Congress, whether Democrat or
Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way. A bill for
comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in
1943. Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same
bill at the beginning of each session. (Applause.)
Our collective failure to meet this challenge -- year after
year, decade after decade -- has led us to the breaking point. Everyone
understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who
live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These
are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class
Americans. Some can't get insurance on the job. Others are
self-employed, and can't afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs
you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many
other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due
to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too
risky or too expensive to cover.
We are the only democracy -- the only advanced democracy on
Earth -- the only wealthy nation -- that allows such hardship for millions of
its people. There are now more than 30 million American citizens who
cannot get coverage. In just a two-year period, one in every three
Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day,
14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to
anyone.
But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just
a problem for the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had
less security and stability than they do today. More and more
Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you'll
lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their
premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their
coverage when they get sick, or won't pay the full cost of care. It
happens every day.
One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of
chemotherapy because his insurer found that he hadn't reported gallstones that
he didn't even know about. They delayed his treatment, and he died
because of it. Another woman from Texas was about to get a double
mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to
declare a case of acne. By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her
breast cancer had more than doubled in size. That is heart-breaking, it is
wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of
America. (Applause.)
Then there's the problem of rising cost. We spend one and
a half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we
aren't any healthier for it. This is one of the reasons that insurance
premiums have gone up three times faster than wages. It's why so many
employers -- especially small businesses -- are forcing their employees to pay
more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely. It's why so
many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first
place, and why American businesses that compete internationally -- like our
automakers -- are at a huge disadvantage. And it's why those of us with
health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it
-- about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody else's emergency room and
charitable care.
Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable
burden on taxpayers. When health care costs grow at the rate they have,
it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid. If we do
nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more
on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined. Put
simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even
comes close. Nothing else. (Applause.)
Now, these are the facts. Nobody disputes them. We
know we must reform this system. The question is how.
There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix
the system is through a single-payer system like Canada's -- (applause) --
where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the
government provide coverage for everybody. On the right, there are those who argue that we should end
employer-based systems and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their
own.
I've said -- I have to say that there are arguments to be made
for both these approaches. But either one would represent a radical shift
that would disrupt the health care most people currently have. Since
health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense
to build on what works and fix what doesn't, rather than try to build an
entirely new system from scratch. (Applause.) And that is precisely
what those of you in Congress have tried to do over the past several
months.
During that time, we've seen Washington at its best and at its
worst.
We've seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better
part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform.
Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work,
and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next
week. That has never happened before. Our overall efforts have been
supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses; hospitals,
seniors' groups, and even drug companies -- many of whom opposed reform in the
past. And there is agreement in this chamber on about 80 percent of what
needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever
been.
But what we've also seen in these last months is the same
partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have towards
their own government. Instead of
honest debate, we've seen scare tactics. Some have dug into
unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to
score short-term political points, even
if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term
challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.
Well,
the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. (Applause.) Now is the season for action. Now
is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the
American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is
the time to deliver on health care. Now is the time to deliver on health
care.
The plan I'm announcing tonight would meet three basic
goals. It will provide more security and stability to those who have
health insurance. It will provide insurance for those who don't.
And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our
businesses, and our government. (Applause.) It's a plan that asks
everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge -- not just
government, not just insurance companies, but everybody including employers and
individuals. And it's a plan that incorporates ideas from senators and
congressmen, from Democrats and Republicans -- and yes, from some of my
opponents in both the primary and general election.
Here are the details that every American needs to know about
this plan. First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans
who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid,
or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the
coverage or the doctor you have. (Applause.) Let me repeat
this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.
What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work
better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance
companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition.
(Applause.) As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for
insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down
when you need it the most. (Applause.) They will no longer be able
to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a
given year or in a lifetime. (Applause.) We will place a limit on
how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United
States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. (Applause.)
And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge,
routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies --
(applause) -- because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like
breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense,
it saves money, and it saves lives. (Applause.)
Now, that's what Americans who have health insurance can expect
from this plan -- more security and more stability.
Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who
don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will
finally offer you quality, affordable choices. (Applause.) If you
lose your job or you change your job, you'll be able to get coverage. If
you strike out on your own and start a small business, you'll be able to get
coverage. We'll do this by creating a new insurance exchange -- a
marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for
health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an
incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for
millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have
greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and
quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees
get affordable insurance. It's how everyone in this Congress gets
affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same
opportunity that we give ourselves. (Applause.)
Now, for those individuals and small businesses who still can't
afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we'll provide tax
credits, the size of which will be based on your need. And all insurance
companies that want access to this new marketplace will have to abide by the
consumer protections I already mentioned. This exchange will take effect
in four years, which will give us time to do it right. In the meantime,
for those Americans who can't get insurance today because they have preexisting
medical conditions, we will immediately offer low-cost coverage that will
protect you against financial ruin if you become seriously ill.
(Applause.) This was a good idea when Senator John McCain proposed it in
the campaign, it's a good idea now, and we should all embrace it.
(Applause.)
Now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be
those -- especially the young and the healthy -- who still want to take the
risk and go without coverage. There may still be companies that refuse to
do right by their workers by giving them coverage. The problem is, such
irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money. If there are
affordable options and people still don't sign up for health insurance, it
means we pay for these people's expensive emergency room visits. If some
businesses don't provide workers health care, it forces the rest of us to pick
up the tab when their workers get sick, and gives those businesses an unfair
advantage over their competitors. And unless everybody does their part,
many of the insurance reforms we seek -- especially requiring insurance
companies to cover preexisting conditions -- just can't be achieved.
And that's why under my plan, individuals will be required to
carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto
insurance. (Applause.) Likewise -- likewise, businesses will be
required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover
the cost of their workers. There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals
who still can't afford coverage, and 95 percent of all small businesses,
because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these
requirements. (Applause.) But we can't have large businesses and
individuals who can afford coverage game the system by avoiding responsibility
to themselves or their employees. Improving our health care system only
works if everybody does their part.
And while there remain some significant details to be ironed
out, I believe -- (laughter) -- I believe a broad consensus exists for the
aspects of the plan I just outlined: consumer protections for those with
insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase
affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get
insurance.
And I have no doubt that these reforms would greatly benefit
Americans from all walks of life, as well as the economy as a whole.
Still, given all the misinformation
that's been spread over the past few months, I realize -- (applause) -- I realize
that many Americans have grown nervous about reform. So tonight I want to
address some of the key controversies that are still out there.
Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any
cost. The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by
prominent politicians, that we plan
to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior
citizens. Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical
and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple. (Applause.)
There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would
insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms -- the
reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: You lie! (Boos.)
THE PRESIDENT: It's not true. And one more
misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will
be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in
place. (Applause.)
Now, my health care proposal has also been attacked by some who
oppose reform as a "government takeover" of the entire health care
system. As proof, critics point to a provision in our plan that allows
the uninsured and small businesses to choose a publicly sponsored insurance
option, administered by the government just like Medicaid or Medicare.
(Applause.)
So let me set the record straight here. My guiding
principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is
choice and competition. That's how the market works.
(Applause.) Unfortunately, in 34 states, 75 percent of the insurance
market is controlled by five or fewer companies. In Alabama, almost 90
percent is controlled by just one company. And without competition, the
price of insurance goes up and quality goes down. And it makes it easier
for insurance companies to treat their customers badly -- by cherry-picking the
healthiest individuals and trying to drop the sickest, by overcharging small
businesses who have no leverage, and by jacking up rates.
Insurance
executives don't do this because they're bad people; they do it because it's
profitable. As one former
insurance executive testified before Congress, insurance companies are not only
encouraged to find reasons to drop the seriously ill, they are rewarded for it.
All of this is in service of meeting what this former executive called
"Wall Street's relentless profit expectations."
Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of
business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our
friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable.
(Applause.) And the insurance reforms that I've already mentioned would
do just that. But an additional step we can take to keep insurance
companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the
insurance exchange. (Applause.) Now, let me be clear. Let me
be clear. It would only be an option for those who don't have
insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact
those of you who already have insurance. In fact, based on Congressional
Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would
sign up.
Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies don't
like this idea. They argue that these private companies can't fairly
compete with the government. And they'd be right if taxpayers were
subsidizing this public insurance option. But they won't be. I've insisted
that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have
to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by
avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by
profits and excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could
provide a good deal for consumers, and would also keep pressure on private
insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better,
the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition
to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges
and universities. (Applause.)
Now, it is -- it's worth noting that a strong majority of
Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight.
But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated -- by the left or the right or the
media. It is only one part of my plan, and shouldn't be used as a handy
excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles. To my progressive
friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform
has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those
without it. (Applause.) The public option -- the public option is
only a means to that end -- and we should remain open to other ideas that
accomplish our ultimate goal. And to my Republican friends, I say that
rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we
should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have.
(Applause.)
For example -- for example, some have suggested that the public
option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not
providing affordable policies. Others have proposed a co-op or another
non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive
ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle
that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a
choice. (Applause.) And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat
or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you
need. (Applause.)
Finally, let me discuss an issue that is a great concern to me,
to members of this chamber, and to the public -- and that's how we pay for this
plan.
And here's what you need to know. First, I will not sign a
plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future.
(Applause.) I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or
in the future, period. And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a
provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts
if the savings we promised don't materialize. (Applause.) Now, part
of the reason I faced a trillion-dollar deficit when I walked in the door of
the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not
paid for -- from the Iraq war to tax breaks for the wealthy.
(Applause.) I will not make that same mistake with health
care.
Second, we've estimated that most of this plan can be paid for
by finding savings within the existing health care system, a system that is
currently full of waste and abuse. Right now, too much of the hard-earned
savings and tax dollars we spend on health care don't make us any
healthier. That's not my judgment -- it's the judgment of medical
professionals across this country. And this is also true when it comes to
Medicare and Medicaid.
In fact, I want to speak directly to seniors for a moment,
because Medicare is another issue that's been subjected to demagoguery and
distortion during the course of this debate.
More than four decades ago, this nation stood up for the
principle that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should not be left to
struggle with a pile of medical bills in their later years. That's how
Medicare was born. And it remains a sacred trust that must be passed down
from one generation to the next. (Applause.) And that is why not a
dollar of the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan.
(Applause.)
The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of
billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in
Medicare that go to insurance companies -- subsidies that do everything to pad
their profits but don't improve the care of seniors. And we will also create
an independent commission of doctors and medical experts charged with
identifying more waste in the years ahead.
(Applause.)
Now, these steps will ensure that you -- America's seniors --
get the benefits you've been promised. They will ensure that Medicare is
there for future generations. And we can use some of the savings to fill
the gap in coverage that forces too many seniors to pay thousands of dollars a
year out of their own pockets for prescription drugs. (Applause.) That's
what this plan will do for you. So don't pay attention to those scary
stories about how your benefits will be cut, especially since some of the same
folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the
past and just this year supported a budget that would essentially have turned
Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will not happen on my
watch. I will protect Medicare. (Applause.)
Now, because Medicare is such a big part of the health care
system, making the program more efficient can help usher in changes in the way
we deliver health care that can reduce costs for everybody. We have long
known that some places -- like the Intermountain Healthcare in Utah or the
Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania -- offer high-quality care at
costs below average. So the commission can help encourage the adoption of
these common-sense best practices by doctors and medical professionals
throughout the system -- everything from reducing hospital infection rates to
encouraging better coordination between teams of doctors.
Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid
will pay for most of this plan. (Applause.) Now, much of the rest
would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies
that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers. And this
reform will charge insurance companies a fee for their most expensive policies,
which will encourage them to provide greater value for the money -- an idea
which has the support of Democratic and Republican experts. And according
to these same experts, this modest change could help hold down the cost of
health care for all of us in the long run.
Now, finally, many in this chamber -- particularly on the
Republican side of the aisle -- have long insisted that reforming our medical
malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care.
(Applause.) Now -- there you go. There you go. Now, I don't
believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I've talked to enough
doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary
costs. (Applause.) So I'm proposing that we move forward on a range
of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on
practicing medicine. (Applause.) I know that the Bush
administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual
states to test these ideas. I think it's a good idea, and I'm directing
my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative
today. (Applause.)
Now, add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around
$900 billion over 10 years -- less than we have spent on the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans
that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration.
(Applause.) Now, most of these costs will be paid for with money already
being spent -- but spent badly -- in the existing health care system. The
plan will not add to our deficit. The middle class will realize greater
security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of
health care costs by just one-tenth of 1 percent each year -- one-tenth of 1
percent -- it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long
term.
Now, this is the plan I'm proposing. It's a plan that
incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight -- Democrats
and Republicans. And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks
ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there
to listen. My door is always open.
But know this: I will not waste time with those who have
made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than to
improve it. (Applause.) I won't stand by while the special
interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they
are. If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out.
(Applause.) And I will not -- and I will not accept the status quo as a
solution. Not this time. Not now.
Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do
nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go
bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose
their coverage when they are sick and need it the most. And more will die
as a result. We know these things to be true.
That is why we cannot fail. Because there are too many
Americans counting on us to succeed -- the ones who suffer silently, and the
ones who shared their stories with us at town halls, in e-mails, and in
letters.
I received one of those letters a few days ago. It was
from our beloved friend and colleague, Ted Kennedy. He had written it
back in May, shortly after he was told that his illness was terminal. He
asked that it be delivered upon his death.
In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were,
thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, his
amazing children, who are all here tonight. And he expressed confidence
that this would be the year that health care reform -- "that great
unfinished business of our society," he called it -- would finally
pass. He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future
prosperity, but he also reminded me that "it concerns more than material
things." "What we face," he wrote, "is above all a
moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental
principles of social justice and the character of our country."
I've thought about that phrase quite a bit in recent days -- the
character of our country. One of the unique and wonderful things about
America has always been our self-reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce
defense of freedom and our healthy skepticism of government. And figuring
out the appropriate size and role of government has always been a source of
rigorous and, yes, sometimes angry debate. That's our
history.
For some of Ted Kennedy's critics, his brand of liberalism
represented an affront to American liberty. In their minds, his passion
for universal health care was nothing more than a passion for big government.
But those of us who knew Teddy and worked with him here --
people of both parties -- know that what drove him was something more.
His friend Orrin Hatch -- he knows that. They worked together to provide
children with health insurance. His friend John McCain knows that.
They worked together on a Patient's Bill of Rights. His friend Chuck
Grassley knows that. They worked together to provide health care to
children with disabilities.
On issues like these, Ted Kennedy's passion was born not of some
rigid ideology, but of his own experience. It was the experience of
having two children stricken with cancer. He never forgot the sheer
terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick.
And he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance,
what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent,
there is something that could make you better, but I just can't afford
it.
That large-heartedness -- that concern and regard for the plight
of others -- is not a partisan feeling. It's not a Republican or a
Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character -- our
ability to stand in other people's shoes; a recognition that we are all in this
together, and when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a
helping hand; a belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility
should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an
acknowledgment that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that
promise.
This has always been the history of our progress. In 1935,
when over half of our seniors could not support themselves and millions had
seen their savings wiped away, there were those who argued that Social Security
would lead to socialism, but the men and women of Congress stood fast, and we
are all the better for it. In 1965, when some argued that Medicare
represented a government takeover of health care, members of Congress --
Democrats and Republicans -- did not back down. They joined together so
that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of
mind.
You see, our predecessors understood that government could not,
and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are
instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the
added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the
danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that
without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can
stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that
when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is
subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as
un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity
passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation
with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we
don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something
essential about ourselves.
That was true then. It remains true today. I
understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that
many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them.
I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further
down the road -- to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one
more term.
But that is not what the moment calls for. That's not what
we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came
here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it's hard.
(Applause.) I still believe -- I still believe that we can act when it's
hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock
with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and
now we will meet history's test.
Because that's who we are. That is our calling. That
is our character. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United
States of America. (Applause.)
END
9:03 P.M. EDT
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.
Endnotes