“An elephant and a donkey fight in a
puppet show, and the crowd cheers for one or the other while thieves pick their
pockets. And when people start to notice
their wallets are missing, they are told they can stop the pick pocketing by
cheering louder for their favorite puppet.” [1]
---- Common Sense Evaluation
That is because, as the cited quote points out, the puppets that we
are rooting for are a distraction from the real source of the problems, perils,
and evils that we face and we have been made to think that if our favorite
puppet (so to speak) prevails that everything will be made right but what we
fail to realize is that there are members of both puppets who are working for
the thieves who are cleverly with subtle sleight of hand picking our pockets.
That is not to say that good
beneficial policies within the political realm cannot improve our lives and
make us safer; they can and have done so when we are successful in voting in
those committed to enacting those policies that serve the best interests of the
public but not every problem can be remedied by a political solution because
not every problem arises from the political arena. The only problems that can be solved
politically are political problems.
You cannot resolve an economic
problem with a political solution if the political policies in place are not a
contributing factor.
You cannot resolve an academic or
educational crisis with a political solution if the political policies in place
are not a contributing factor.
And you cannot solve moral and
spiritual problems with political solutions when the policies in place are
allowing the moral and spiritual solutions to flourish and be offered.
Economic problems require economic
solutions. Not political ones.
If taxes are at a reasonable rate and
businesses and corporations are not being burdened by excessive and
unreasonable regulations, and the value of your currency is strong and stable
and yet in spite of all that the economy is still failing, then there are
problems taking place that need to be resolved in the economic realm, and not
in the political arena. We just need to
make sure that the political policies in place are allowing for the economic
problems to be resolved economically.
Academic problems require academic
solutions. Not political ones. If the political policies in place are
allowing for the academic freedom required to ensure that students are provided
an honest education, and yet there are still many students who are not, then
that is going to require academic solutions (i.e. places of learning reforming
their respective educational and academic standards so as to ensure that their
standards are able to better serve the public and if necessary, removing
teachers, professors, seminarians, principals, school board members,
superintendents, and university deans who are not upholding those beneficial
standards but are instead being subversive and defiant of those standards from
their positions.)
And finally moral and spiritual
problems require moral and spiritual solutions.
Not political ones.
We can pass legislation that can
control how people may behave, but it will never change the inward condition of
the person and whenever they think they can get away with doing so or feel as
though they have nothing to lose, they will still continue to victimize their
fellowman because the desire to kill, steal, destroy, oppress, defraud,
exploit, lie, and oppress still remains within them because man, by nature, is
inherently corrupt. That is not to say
that man does not have the capacity to do good or that he cannot learn to do
that which is good and live a morally upright and productive life, but there is
also something within him that draws him towards evil.
But if a man is inherently evil, then
what also lies within him that makes him also capable of doing that which is
good as well?
A question that most people never
think about and a question that can never be answered outside the realm of
theology and that is because the thieves picking our pockets are not forces
that can be seen but forces who are unseen.
That which is seen is but the end result of the unseen acts set into
motion and yet those unseen forces try to keep us focused and distracted by the
manifested results and blind and oblivious to the source and cause of those
negative, favorable, and disastrous results which is not something that is
seen, but a cause unseen which is spiritual and which is the cause of the
manifested evils and perils that we witness, be they economic, academic,
social, or political and the cause and reason for all the turmoil, peril, and
evil that we see seeks to keep our focus on the manifested results instead of
the source from which they arise because it wants us to place our trust in
things that may promise a solution but in the end will fail to do so or worse,
provide a remedy worse than the disease itself and the source of all the things
that we want remedied is the thief that not only seeks to rob us of our
material prosperity, but also seeks to steal from us those things which are far
more valuable than any material or financial gain such as our joy, happiness,
peace, contentment, friends, family, spouses, children, our liberty, dignity,
sense of purpose, our hearts, minds, and ultimately our very souls.
And this thief who wishes to keep us
distracted while he steals away from us those things most precious is the thief
who from the beginning tried to obtain for himself that which was not
rightfully his. For before he became
that thief who has been before this present universe itself used to serve at
the throne of the God by whom Heaven and Earth were made and in his pride
attempted to make himself equal to his maker and thereby take for himself
reserved unto God alone and as a consequence, he and those who sided with him
were cast from the positions they had once held in Heaven before God. (Is.
14:11-21, Ezek. 28:12-19)
That rebellious spirit consumed with
such pride and conceit was called Lucifer and who is much better known as Satan
and after his fall from heaven, he then crept into a newly created universe in
which there was no death, no suffering, no decay, no evil, no pain, no grief,
nor any sorrow, nor misery of any sort but only a peace, contentment, and
harmony between God, man, and nature such as this present world has never
experienced.
It was a world over which man was
initially given dominion (Gen. 1:26) and nothing was withheld from him except
one thing: the fruit from a certain tree called the tree of the knowledge of
good evil having been warned that in the day that they ate the fruit thereof,
they would surely die (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3) but Satan, who had rebelled against
God whom he had once served, deceived the first woman whom God had created
whose name was Eve, who was the wife of the first man Adam, into eating of that
forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:4-5) and after having eaten of that forbidden fruit,
she gave some to her husband Adam who was the first man whom God had created
and he ate of it also. (Gen. 3:6)
In causing both Adam and Eve to
commit that fateful transgression, Satan had stolen from mankind a perfect and
uninterrupted fellowship with God, dignity, eternal life, peace, happiness,
joy, and contentment, and he even stole from man dominion over the world that
he otherwise could have had and he did so with lies.
The lies with which the serpent
caused man to commit the first recorded transgression against God was as
follows:
He falsely assured them that they
would not die and caused them to doubt the Word of God.
And he deceitfully told them that
they would become more divine and enlightened thus causing them to think that
God was withholding them from their complete and optimal potential.
Those very lies were the very first
recorded lies ever known to man and it is those first lies that have made Satan
the father of lies (Jn. 8:44) and it is by those lies that he reduced man to a
state of shame (Gen. 3:7) and brought upon him the sentence of death of which
he was warned if he should ever eat of that forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:19) by
causing him to be cut off from life eternal (Gen. 3:22)
But this sentence did not remain
confined to just Adam and Eve, because when they had eaten of that forbidden
fruit, something, a condition, entered into man that was not intended for them
and which inwardly corrupted him and thereby brought upon him the sentence of
death, and this inward corruption, which the Bible calls sin, which entered
into them was then passed down to all of mankind (Rom. 5:12) since it is from
Adam and Eve all of mankind descends and since we are all descendants of Adam
and Eve, the corruption that entered into them has also been passed down to all
of us, thus also making us into that which God never intended us to be and as a
consequence, we all die (Rom. 6:23) and that ultimate cause of death is that
corrupted condition of our very nature; that condition being what the Bible
calls sin and it is into sin we are all born and by sin do we all die, but the
consequences of Adam’s disobedience did not confine themselves to him or
mankind, but the effects of sin have spread throughout all of creation because
sin taints, distorts, corrupts, and perverts more than we can possibly
comprehend which is why it is written that the earth groans and travails in
pain to this day. (Rom. 8:19-22)
And because of Adam’s disobedience,
the dominion that mankind would have had over all of the earth (Gen. 1:26) was
diminished because the transgression of Adam gave Satan justification to claim
lordship over the people, nations, kingdoms, and empires of the world. (Mt.
4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) which is why he is called the prince of this world. (Jn.
12:31, 16:11)
And that same thief who diminished
the dominion of man and led him into that act of disobedience that brought upon
him the sentence of death and the very slow destruction of creation is that
very thief who to this day continues to kill, steal, and destroy (Jn. 10:10)
through every kind of lie, deceit, diversion, temptation, corruption,
perversion, and subtlety that there is and it is he who continues to keep us
focused on the symptoms of any given problem while keeping us blind and
oblivious to the source of those problems.
And I cannot speak for other nations
which are not facing all of the same issues and perils that we here in America
are for in America we are faced with high taxation, excessive regulations
imposed upon businesses and corporations, complaints about corporate greed, the
defrauding of consumers and exploitation of employees, government and electoral
corruption, miscarriages of justice, an either unreliable or corrupt justice
system, gender, racial, and generational divisions, constant assaults on our
Constitutional and civil liberties, illegal immigration, rampant crime, (in
part due to migrant crime) a depraved and perverse entertainment industry,
fears of so-called climate change, dishonest news reporting, academic deception
and indoctrination, broken and unstable households, single-parent households,
drug and alcohol abuse, a rise in mental instability, and a spiritual and moral
decline and it is the spiritual decline that is the cause of all the rest
because the spiritual condition of a nation determines, for better or for worse
its direction and fate and can either make a nation strong and prosperous, or
it can bring a nation to its destruction and it seems that many, and I fear,
far too many on both sides of the political aisle, are either oblivious or dismissive
of that very fact. Even Donald Trump
said that we are missing a lot of religion in our nation, stating in an
interview:
I think our country's missing a lot
of religion. I think it was a much better place with religion. It was almost a
guide... you want to be good to people. Without religion, there are no
guardrails. I'd love to see us get back to more religion in this country. [2]
And I think I know exactly what he means
and what he’s talking about, but it is not so much that we are missing a lot of
religion in our country; it is that we have been replacing one religion for
another religion and the religion that is being rejected has been for the
benefit and good of our nation while the religion we have been embracing is
leading our nation to destruction.
The day that this nation began
turning away from the God to whom it was once dedicated and rejecting the very
moral principles, laws, and precepts that come from this God, is when it began
its decline and is also when we began to see an increase in the threats and
dangers to this country from without and from within, economic instability,
corruption within all levels and branches in government and private sector,
deceit and dishonesty within the media and in our academic institutions,
attacks on the way of life and freedoms we hold dear and have enjoyed, the
break down of our family and social units, and a rise in the political, moral,
and spiritual polarization within our nation and every proposed solution, apart
from a sincere heartfelt repentance from our sinful and wicked ways before the
God who made us, to the problems, dilemmas, and dangers we are facing either
fails to achieve its promised objective or worse, even exacerbates the problems
it purports to be able to solve.
And please readers do not
misunderstand or get me wrong when I say this:
I am not saying that the economy, illegal immigration, crime, education,
national security, electoral integrity, and corruption within the government
and private sectors are not important issues to address and they need to be
addressed actively, but what I am saying that we need to be just active in
attacking the root cause of these problems every bit as much as we attack the
manifested symptoms and when we begin doing that, I believe then we will see a
drastic reduction in the manifested symptoms.
And there is a solution to the root
and foundational cause of the manifested problems we do see and it is that very
solution that is the most resisted and the most fought and it seems that there
is more hope in bringing and economic and political unity amongst people than a
spiritual unity because there are people in every political party and movement
who are resistant and even hostile to that much needed solution and for several
reasons that can range from intellectual, philosophical, and even religious barriers
that are preventing them from receiving it to the poisoning of their minds and
the hardening of their hearts against it due to lies and misrepresentations of
that solution, or simply because they enjoy their sin too much and take too
much pleasure in the things of darkness and evil which is why they who have
embraced that solution, when they offer it to others and attack the very
foundational source and cause of the manifested or even perceived manifested
symptoms, they are going to face a resistance far stronger and more fierce than
they ever will in the political, social, academic or economic realms.
But if we as a nation continue to
reject that spiritual solution that has
been graciously, mercifully, and lovingly offered to us, then we will be
inviting divine judgment to come upon us and the more the evil of this world
increases, the closer to judgment this world comes and when divine justice is
carried out and cleanses creation of the evil within it, they who take pleasure
in the things of darkness rather than the things of light, and in sin instead
of righteousness, in lies instead of truth, in perversion instead of purity, in
the things profane rather than the sacred, and in evil instead of good will
also be eliminated from the earth and when they are, they will have nothing to
look forward to except an everlasting punishment filled with an unimaginable
and unrelenting torment in the everlasting darkness and fires of Hell but it
needn’t be that way for anyone. For the
Almighty God who made us takes no pleasure in judgment or punishment but in
love, mercy, kindness, compassion, and grace which is why He is not willing
that any should perish in eternal damnation, but that all would come to
repentance and receive eternal life (2 Pet. 3:9) and He, in His love and mercy
for mankind, has provided just such a solution; one of redemption, the
cleansing of the soul, and the transformation of the inward man and if we will
be but willing to seek that out and receive it, every concern, worry, dread,
and fear of ours will in time be addressed for the solution to our economic,
social, political, and academic problems is not one that can be seen or
touched, nor is it one that begins from without, but it is a solution that
begins from within each and every person who calls out for it and which
requires an inward cleansing and transformation and it is provided in Jesus
Christ who is the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:16) come to us as our Creator
in the flesh (Jn. 1:14)
to take away our sins and by the
shedding of His blood was redemption bought thereby satisfying both the demand
for the penalty, which He, being without any sin (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) took
upon Himself, to be paid for all sin and granting mercy in His death upon the
cross and by His resurrection are we made justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) so that
anyone placing full trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sin and salvation
will not have to face eternal damnation, but be made a citizen of the Kingdom
of Heaven and granted eternal life and it is in calling upon Him for the
forgiveness of sins and believing that God raised Him from the dead that we are
saved from an otherwise terrible everlasting judgment (Rom. 10:9, 13) and it is
by Him that we are reconciled to our Creator (2 Cor. 5:18) and with the
cleansing of our sins which reconciles us to our Maker, we inwardly transformed
and made anew; (2 Cor. 5:17) that spiritual transformation and awakening which
causes us to no longer desire to follow after selfish and worldly pursuits but
after those things that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven, (Mt. 6:33)
to no longer take pleasure in those
things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that
which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the
lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ
Almighty, (Jn. 14:6) no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present
world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly
resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our
needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, (Mt.
6:25-33) recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He
brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets
our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might
acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God,
to no longer fear what men can do to
us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an
account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible
institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God
who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our
lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His
Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our
lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but
the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible
men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that
those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and
servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves
with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of
the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, nor
depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but
only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
And just as we are made spiritually
alive in Christ, so also we will one day be delivered from bodily death itself
when our present bodies are changed from that which was born into corruption
into that which is without corruption (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and
finally, creation itself will also be delivered from the curse of sin when
Satan who is that thief who came to steal, kill, and destroy is cast out of the
earth and receives his final sentence which will make his defeat final when he
and all who have sided with him are cast into the lake of fire where they will
be forever tormented without relief (Rev. 20:10-15) and after that, it will be
made anew and when it is made anew, there will be no sin, no evil, no darkness,
nor any curse. There will be no death,
no decay, nor any pain, nor any hardship, no oppression, no misery, no cruelty,
no despair, or any grief for all of these things will have passed away with the
old corrupted creation.
Instead, in this new and undefiled
creation, there will only be life, light, goodness, happiness, joy, peace, and
contentment before the Lord God Almighty. (Rev. 21-22)
God is presently calling as many who
are willing to accept His offer of mercy, redemption and forgiveness out of the
present darkness of this world and to turn away from the sins by which they are
otherwise condemned to an everlasting and fearful punishment of unrelenting
torment in the fires and darkness of Hell for He, as our Creator would rather
that all would be made citizens of His Kingdom in which there is nothing but an
everlasting goodness and joy for the Almighty takes no pleasure in punishment,
but in love and mercy yet sadly, many persist in taking the broad wide path
that leads to destruction and eternal damnation because they despise the very
truth that leads to the salvation and transformation of the soul, and they
reject the incorruptible authority of God Almighty because they prefer sin over
righteousness and the things that bring death over the things that produce,
sustain, and preserve life.
But I pray that those of you who are
reading this and have yet to call upon the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of
sins will not reject His offer of redemption, but that you will allow your
hearts to be softened towards the things of God and that you might take some
time to examine yourself before your Creator and not just your outward
performance but also your inward person as well because it is not just our
actions and words that we will have to give an account for when we stand before
our Creator, but also the thoughts of the mind, the motives and reasoning
driving the choices and decisions we make and the things we do, and the
attitude of the very heart and once we understand that we are judged not just
on our outward performance but by the condition and attitude of our inward
being as well, it is at that point that we begin to see how we always fail to
measure up to the standard of moral perfection which is required of us by God
in order for us to become members of His Kingdom due to our inherent moral
imperfection and that we cannot meet such a requirement on our own merit, but
only by the merit of Jesus who took upon Himself the demanded penalty for sin
on our behalf.
If you, reader have not done so
already and would like be sure that you have place in the Kingdom of God and in
the new and better world to come, then I would urge you to call upon the name
of Jesus Christ today to take away your sins so that you can be sure of your
salvation. It is but a simple prayer of
sincere repentance away:
"Lord Jesus I need you.
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of
God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Know that God is not concerned with
the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of
your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive
you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in
nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
End notes:
1. “A Puppet
Show,” Common Sense Evaluation, September 14, 2024
https://usa.life/post/5326800_a-puppet-show-https-commonsenseevaluation-com-2024-09-14-a-puppet-show.html
https://commonsenseevaluation.com/2024/09/14/a-puppet-show/
2.
Hannah Knudsen, “Donald Trump: Our Country Is ‘Missing a Lot of Religion’;
‘No Guard Rails’ Without It,” Breitbart, September 3, 2024
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/09/03/donald-trump-our-country-is-missing-a-lot-of-religion-no-guard-rails-without-it/
Scripture references:
1.
Isaiah 14:11-21
2.
Ezekiel 28:12-19
3.
Genesis 1:26
4.
Genesis 2:16-17, 3:3
5.
Genesis 3:4-5
6.
Genesis 3:6
7.
Genesis 3:7
8.
Genesis 3:19
9.
Romans 5:12
10.
Romans 6:23
11.
Romans 8:19-22
12.
Matthew 4:8-9, Luke 4:6-7
13.
John 12:31, 16:11
14.
John 10:10
15.
2 Peter 3:9
16.
John 3:16
17.
John 1:14
18.
2 Corinthians 5:21
19.
Hebrews 4:15
20.
Romans 4:25
22.
Romans 10:9, 13
23.
2 Corinthians 5:18
24.
2 Corinthians 5:17
25.
Matthew 6:33
26.
John 14:6
27.
Revelation 21-22
28.
Matthew 6:25-33
29.
Matthew 10:28
30.
1 Corinthians 15:51-55
31.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
32.
Revelation 20:10-15
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