Of Jehu, Manasseh, and the 2016 Election

I woke up this morning to some new news ...

(Donald Trump had won the presidential election) and to some old news... (another 3,000+ babies were going to be killed today, while in their mothers' wombs). Both the praises and the laments for the former are LOUD, while the laments for the latter can barely be heard.

Much of the evangelical church jumped on the Trump Train, hailing him as perhaps a modern day version of Cyrus (The Persian king appointed by God [Isaiah:28-45:13] to release the Jews from captivity so they could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple [2 Chronicles 36:22 - Ezra 1:8; 5:13 - 6:14]). I suppose there is some expectation that Donald Trump will be the one to release us from the captivity of the liberal/leftist/progressive/fascist elements of society, including an oversized and oppressive federal government.

May I submit that Israel's captivity had been both proclaimed by God (through His prophets), limited by God, and ended at the hand of the man appointed by God even before that man was born. So I wouldn't get too caught up in the Cyrus analogy. Perhaps a better analogy can be found in Jeremiah 8. There Jeremiah refers to the impending desolation of Jerusalem and Judah as if it had already occurred. Their fate would be the result of the people's stubborn rebellion and sin. Jeremiah's prophetic vision caused much sorrow, yet while he spoke doom and judgment, false prophets were predicting peace. The kingdom had arrived at a place described in these words:
     "'Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed,    Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down,' says the Lord."  (Jeremiah 8:12)

"So what does this have to do with Jehu, Manasseh, and Josiah?" you may ask. Jehu was one of the kings of Israel, appointed to be anointed by Elijah (1 Kings 19:16-17) but actually anointed by Elisha (2 Kings 9:1-13). All of Israel's kings did evil in the sight of God, yet among them Jehu was most pleasing to God.
       "And the Lord said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." ³¹ But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin." (2 Kings 10:30-31)

The main purpose for which God had placed Jehu on the throne was to obliterate the house of Ahab, including bringing wicked Jezebel to her prophesied demise (2 Kings 10:30-37). Perhaps Donald trump's appointed task is to bring judgment upon the Clinton Crime Family. This is just speculation on my part, but the analogy is pretty clear.

Now for Manasseh and Josiah. Here the analogy is stretched a bit regarding the players, but it holds strong as to the over-arching principles. Manasseh was a king in the southern kingdom of Judah. He was extremely wicked...
      "He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, "In Jerusalem I will put My name." ⁵ And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. ⁶ Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger."  (2 Kings 21:4-6)  "Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord." ( 2 Kings 21:16)

Because of the sins of Manasseh and Judah, God said that he would destroy Jerusalem and take the people into captivity. This began with Manasseh himself being taken captive by the Assyrian army, a hook being put in his nose, and being taken prisoner to Babylon. It was there that Manasseh humbled himself greatly before God and sought His favor. God heard his prayers and restored him to Jerusalem where removed all of the idols and places of pagan worship. (2 Chronicles 33:11-17) It is important to note that in spite of God's mercy towards Manasseh, which extended to all of Judah, even to 4 generations (although it proved that even the most vile of sinners can find grace through genuine humility and repentance) did not negate the nation's sin of shedding innocent blood. Thus after the 2 year evil reign of Amon, the righteous 31 year reign of Josiah (which included genuine revival), the 3 month evil reign of Jehoahaz, there began the 11 year evil reign of Jehoiakim. It was during this time that the Babylonian invasion began which would ultimately result in the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the Jews. The Bible's own commentary as to why this calamity fell upon God's chosen people follows:
       "Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, ⁴ and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon." ( 2 Kings 24:3-4)

I am no more concerned with timing than Isaiah was when he prophesied the Babylonian invasion/captivity during the reign of Manasseh. Manasseh ruled Judah for 55 years - longer than any king before or after him. His sins ushered in the beginning of an Assyrian invasion, resulting in Manasseh being taken to Babylon. His repentance brought about a reprieve followed by a reformation, and several years later actual revival. There is no doubt in  my mind that the USA is as guilty of the shedding of innocent blood as was Manasseh and Judah. We have been doing it for over 43 years now, and God will judge that. When and how are up to Him.

It is interesting to note that the USA has been undergoing an invasion of people from a foreign land whose countenance is fierce and whose ideology of world conquest is veiled by a thin veneer of religion. I speak of Islam. Perhaps there will now be a temporary halt to the invasion. Perhaps there will be some reforms. Christians are well-known for dusting off 2 Chronicles 7:14 periodically, but the fruit of repentance remains sorely lacking. The continued genocide with the church's passive permission continues.

I am encouraging evangelicals everywhere, from the prominent TV figures down to the members of small village churches to take up the banner of Personhood. There may never again be a window of opportunity to put this national sin of abortion behind us and legally declare that personhood, and all of its due process protections, begins at the moment of conception. Whether Donald Trump is a modern day Cyrus, or representative of a repentant Manasseh, the duty of the church to be salt and light remains the same. As part of that, the "3.1.10 Initiative" (contacting our 3 congressmen at least 1 time per month to pass a Personhood Bill, and urging at least 10 friends to do the same) will be moving into high gear. I'm confident that Donald Trump will sign into law such a bill. May our efforts going forward outweigh our passivity of the past. In Jesus' Name!

World News Through the Third Lens: The State of Our Union

In the president's state of the union address last Tuesday.........

Why bother to go over that speech, the contents of which, if they become reality, will push the United States of America further into the abyss? There was not one mention of the connection between our moral decline and our fiscal problems. The proposals to "fix" our economy not only miss this connection - they lack one shred of common sense as shared by Dr. Ben Carson at the National Prayer Breakfast. President Obama should have been taking notes rather than looking for a hole to crawl into.

Rather than taking apart the President's agenda, which includes (in this writer's opinion) much that constitutes impeachable offenses, I would rather focus on just one sentence in Senator Marc Rubio's rebuttal speech. "But America is exceptional because we believe that every life, at every stage, is precious, and that everyone everywhere has a God-given right to go as far as their talents and hard work will take them."

Every time I read that, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I think those are symptoms of hysteria, so you can consider this blog as written by an hysterical man on a mission. While I appreciate Senator Rubio's pro-life statement, I can't help but wonder why his name was not listed as a co-sponsor on Senator Wicker's bill: S.91 Life at Conception Act introduced at the beginning of the 112th congress. Why was this bill allowed to languish in committee without, at least, a real battle? Why hasn't a version of S.91 been introduced to the 113th congress by either Sen. Rubio, Sen. Wicker, or either of Tennessee's two "Pro-life" senators, Corker and Alexander? Could it be because of the state of our union is actually disunity?

Through the third lens of Scripture.................

Ephesians 4:1-6 (NKJV)
¹ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Our country is most definitely not exceptional because of a belief that every life, at all stages, is precious. If that were so, we would not be a nation that has allowed the legal murder of over 55 million babies in the womb over the past 40 years. I also think that the church of Jesus Christ has lost its exceptionalism by allowing this to happen in our beloved country. How has this happened when the majority of people in this country say they believe in the sanctity of life? I think it is because we are not united in what we mean when we say we are "pro-life."

There is no claim that any of the numbers hereafter are accurate, but I do believe that they are accurate in what they represent.

Of the 200,000,000 or so people in the USA eligible to vote, approximately 150,000,000 of them are registered to vote. Of the registered voters, over 80,000,000 say they are pro-life. Let's just go with the 80MM and break that down further.

Let's say that 50%  (40MM) think that abortion should be banned, but with exceptions (i.e., rape,incest, health of mother, etc.)

Let's say that the other 50% (40MM) think that all abortions should be banned; no exceptions.

Out of either group there have sprung various and sundry pro-life organizations, but they often refuse to work with one another because of disagreement regarding the exceptions.

Out of each group there have sprung many mercy ministries (i.e., Care-net) which focus most of their attention on helping those in crisis pregnancy situations, with very little effort directed at going up-stream to prevent the crisis. As such, they have staff and budget needs to be met.

A considerable portion of the pro-life movement is devoted to keeping people abreast of current events in this arena. As such, they have staff and budget needs to be met.

A very small percentage (probably less than 1%) of the people who say they are pro-life actually take their theology out to the streets. These people operate with next to nothing for a formal budget. Most of the workers are strictly volunteers and any funds collected go directly to alleviate the needs of families who choose life - right at the gates of the abortion mills. Even the seasonal efforts to go to the streets attract a very small percentage of the evangelical church. In the Bible Belt part of Tennessee where I live, only about 15 of the 1000 churches in the area will be participating in 40 Days for Life.

I have kept this numbers game to a minimum because my purpose is not to divide, but to unite. I am willing to accept the fact that many different approaches have been taken by the pro-life community, and that pro-life commitment varies from person to person. I am not suggesting that the various efforts of organizations like Personhood USA, Care-net, Operation Save America, Operation Rescue, Life News, 40 Days for Life, et al should cease. God forbid! What I am suggesting is that everyone who calls him/herself "Pro-Life" should take the minimal steps granted to every citizen of the USA to end abortion in this country. This can be done without having to fund a staff or a budget; it can be done without engaging in endless speeches.

Personhood is the answer............

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution states, "...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Because, as a nation, we seem to have lost our ability to recognize that a baby in the womb is a person from the moment of conception, there is a need for congress to act, under section 5 of the 14th Amendment, and extend the protections thereof to each born and preborn human person.

Our duly elected congressmen (senators and representatives) need to know that the will of the people is to define personhood as beginning with the moment of conception. Let's not engage in endless debate regarding exceptions; the need to attack this state by state or restriction by restriction. Let's just tell congress that we believe that human life begins at conception and that equal protection under the law should apply at that point. We demand a law that guarantees this. Once this is the law of the land, and only then, will Sen. Rubio's statement ring true.

Join the 3.1.10 initiative. 3 - the number of congressmen you should contact; 1 - the number of times to contact them per month requesting passage of Life at Conception/Personhood legislation ASAP; 10 - the minimum number of friends you should urge to do the same.

The Spirit, which is Life is calling us to unity.....................