About a year ago, America went through one of the most polarizing elections that she has ever seen. It was like a heavyweight fight at Madison Square Garden; we had Trump in the right corner just finishing up a tumultuous four years of being POTUS; and in the left corner, we had Joe Biden, former VP, and lifelong Senator. After heated words, billions of dollars spent, in an atmosphere filled with fear and hate, this presidential election turned out to be “one for the ages”. More Americans voted in the 2020 election than in any other election in U.S. history.  Emotions ran high, while fear and hope saturated the atmosphere. Despite everything, in the middle of a raging pandemic, millions got out and voted while others mailed in their ballots.

One thing that truly marked this election, more so than others, was how divided America clearly turned out to be after the election. It seemed like the country was literally cut in half.  So many relationships ended or became strained when people found out, to their horror, that their friends and family had an alternative viewpoint opposite of their own, leading to crushing disagreements. Folks were zealous in their divided beliefs and interpretations of what they thought was transpiring before them.

Many were questioning where their nation was headed, while greatly concerned for their children’s future. Through sophisticated marketing, voters were completely convinced that the wrong candidate would absolutely destroy what’s left of their country.

What was the common thread that helped bring about all this division, while everything was strained through it? This common thread was the American news media.

People everywhere were really stirred up through the media, and Christians were no exception to the rule. In order to traverse this volatile landscape, there are some crucial truths about the media such as “spin”, “the difference between journalists”, “filters”, and more, that we all must be familiar with.

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

THE MEDIA  

Because of the internet and “for-profit news”, the competition for eyeballs and clicks has become fierce. Views and clicks equal big bucks. Unfortunately, “infotainment”, instead of “investigative reporting” usually gets the most clicks. “Infotainment, also called soft news, is a type of media, usually television and radio, that provides a combination of information and entertainment.^[2] The term may be used disparagingly to devalue infotainment or soft news subjects in favor of more “serious” hard news subjects.” Because infotainment doesn’t have to be thoroughly vetted, it’s easy to make, and very addictive to their audiences. Desperate, and compromised news entities have discovered what sellers of physical products have already known; “you can’t compete in everything”. But the more niched your product, and the more of an expert you become in that niche, the higher chance of attracting and keeping a specific audience. It’s about keeping them coming back for more and more. So different news programs have become highly biased in their coverage cornering their particular niche. Unfortunately, certain mainstream media coverage either leans to the right, or to the left; the boring whole truth too often takes a back seat. If the coverage is heavily biased or full of partial truths, it’s just inevitable that people will come to distorted conclusions.

“We live in a world with fake news being put out there. You don’t really know what to trust, and it’s a real danger to society.”  Austin Aries 

SPIN 

Today’s propaganda has a nicer word for deception that perfectly describes what many news outlets do. It’s the main ingredient in the recipe for infotainment; that word is “SPIN”. Spin basically takes any piece of news and through different techniques forces it to conform to a particular narrative, or as Whatis.com defines it below;

“Spin, in the context of public relations (PR), marketing and journalism, is the selective assembly of fact and the shaping of nuance to support a particular view of a story. Spin is considered one form of propaganda. To spin something is to communicate it in a way that changes the way people are likely to perceive it. As such, spin is intentionally misleading and can, in fact, give the opposite impression to what would naturally occur. Outright lies cannot be considered spin. However, inconvenient but relevant truths are often omitted in the process and less relevant but true details emphasized.

From national news shows, or MSM (mainstream media), to little YouTube channels, most indulge in it.

Some techniques of spin or poor journalism consist of—speculation, half-truths, conspiracy theories, cover-up, omission, little to no research, no perspective or meaningful context, very persuasive arguments built on opinion instead of facts, and only reporting on news that fits a particular bias. Combine all that with the acceleration of unethical, harmful deregulation which has over the years allowed media ownership to dwindle down from over fifty to just six huge companies (“About 15 billionaires and six corporations own most of the U.S. media outlets. The biggest media conglomerates in America are AT&T, Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, National Amusements (which includes Viacom Inc. and CBS), News Corp, and Fox Corporation (which are both owned in part by the Murdochs), Sony, and Hearst Communications.” titlemax.com)

Shockingly, these companies own 90% of what we hear, see, and read. Most would agree that this is an unhealthy situation. To have the nation’s media concentrated in a few monolithic hands is calamitous, especially in light of the following quotes: 

” The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”  Malcolm X 

“He who controls the media controls the minds of the public.” Noam Chomsky 

“Media manipulation in the U.S. today is more efficient than it was in Nazi Germany, because here we have the pretense that we are getting all the information we want. That misconception prevents people from even looking for the truth.” Mark Crispin Miller 

“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” Malcolm X 

“A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself.”  Joseph Pulitzer 

“The media want to maintain their intimate relation to state power. They want to get leaks, they want to get invited to the press conferences. They want to rub shoulders with the Secretary of State, all that kind of business. To do that, you’ve got to play the game, and playing the game means telling their lies, serving as their disinformation apparatus.” Noam Chomsky 

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ARE ALL INFECTED 

Are all news outlets in such a sad state of affairs? No, not yet. There are still independent outlets and good reporters that continue to do solid investigative journalism. But your chances of finding these types of reporters among the mainstream media, which is full of celebrity reporters being paid $30,000/day, are very slim. It’s unfortunate that celebrity reporters are more than willing to go along with the status quo while selling their souls for a dollar. 

GOOD JOURNALISTS

Although difficult, you can still find hard-nosed independent journalists who are equally critical of both sides of the aisle; these journalists are willing to ask the tough questions and challenge the official narrative. Thankfully there are news shows and whistleblowers out there, national and international, that are willing to put their jobs, and even their lives in danger to get to the truth. It’s sickening that last year 66 journalists were killed worldwide for exposing the truth.

WHO SHOULD WE PAY MORE ATTENTION TO 

What journalists are more likely to speak the truth? Those journalists that have been fired from MSM for speaking the truth, and have become independent journalists are a good place to start.  It’s really an easy contrast between truthful journalists and those that aren’t. Is the journalist someone who is being persecuted while not being paid by mainstream media sponsors, or is it someone getting paid millions while parroting the official talking points of the day? Although whose paying or criticizing them isn’t a bulletproof way of determining the truthfulness of journalists, nevertheless, great journalists often times get on the wrong side of governments, corporations, or politicians, and unfortunately, experience horrible persecution and even death just for doing their job.  

FILTER  

It’s important to have some type of filter for whatever source you are analyzing. The most important filter is the word of God, which perfectly expounds on the true state of mankind. The following scripture is one of many that should be foundational in analyzing reports in the media. 

Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. Rom 3:4  

BIAS 

One must know that if a newscast or journalist is hyper-critical of just one side of the aisle, then know that their information will be deeply skewed and distorted despite how plausible it may seem. All news seems to be truthful at the time, but always remember, the best kind of lies have some truth in them, but in the end, it’s still a lie. That old saying still stands, “there are two sides to every story.”  Through deeper research, these one-sided lies collapse on themselves.  

OUR APPROACH 

So what is a healthy approach for Christian citizens during these constant national firestorms? How do we maneuver through all of this turmoil? 

First, we must ask ourselves, does the Lord really want you spending a lot of time swimming in an ocean of corruption and spin that has dominated the mainstream narrative for decades? The bible does say watch and pray, but are you really praying about what you are watching? The following scripture seems to sum up what has happened to the church in America. 

 3Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. “4 A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.” 2 Timothy 2:4 

We are enlisted holy soldiers with assignments from the Most High, and yet we are entangled in civilian affairs. 

Again I ask; is the news and governmental narrative of the land something that the Lord wants you to be completely indulged in; sapping all of your energy, producing nothing; or is He calling you to produce HIS particular and unique narrative that produces holy news from on high? 

Secondly, when you do watch, is your source of news balanced and fair? If your news source is known for being biased, every piece of news you hear from them will be spun to fit a chosen narrative, which in turn will fill your mind with error. More than likely, a bouquet of independent, national, and even foreign news sources will get you closer to the truth than any MSM news by itself will.  

IN CONCLUSION 

Truly the church needs to pursue truth and pray about all things; recognize the corruption in our media, get untangled from worldly civilian affairs while fixing our eyes on Jesus, our Captain, and Commander. 

“14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”  Ephesians 4:14 

19And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:19-21

To see the thrilling fulfillment of prophecy proves that all of God’s word is true, powerful, and trustworthy. It is written so that you believe.

ETHIOPIA

Most people who are students of the bible are familiar with the great diaspora that took place after the Jews rejected their Messiah (I also addressed it in another article here). God, speaking through Prophets, goes into great detail about this event hundreds of years before it happened. The following scriptures are just a few of many about their judgment.  

“The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you.” Deuteronomy 4:27 (NASB)

“When I scatter them among the peoples,
They will remember Me in far countries, And they with their children will live and come back. Zechariah 10:9

The Jews were dispersed everywhere just like God’s word prophesied. The Jewish diaspora, or exile, took them to places such as Northern and Eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal, Africa, and the Middle East. But one of the most interesting groups of Jews, whose story is not well known, but quite extraordinary, are the Jews of Ethiopia. Even secular Hollywood found their story interesting and made a movie about their return to Israel.

WHO ARE THESE JEWS?

These Jews have lived in Ethiopia for over 2000 years. Before the fourth century, roughly half of Ethiopia was Jewish. After Christianity was made the official religion of Ethiopia during the 4^th century, the Jews suffered great persecution. Unfortunately, the Ethiopian Christians accused them of killing Christ, being “unworthy,” and “wicked enemies of God,” who should be exterminated. They were massacred, enslaved, and forced to convert to Christianity; nevertheless, they maintained their pre-Rabbinic and biblically-based religious identity for a thousand years.  

According to the following quote from the online magazine “Cultural Survival”, there are some differences, but they largely have the same traditions of most orthodox Jews.

“They have the Torah (Written Law) but not the Talmud (Oral Law). Their language is not Hebrew, but Ge’ez. Their leaders are priests (kohanim) rather than rabbis. They have no knowledge or post-Biblical Jewish holidays such as Chanukah or Purim, or post-Biblical interpretations of the Law, e.g., the prohibition against mixing meat and milk. Until recently Ethiopian Jews practiced animal sacrifice, and ritual purification through immersion in water. Otherwise, their religion is the same as Judaism throughout the world, including observance of the Sabbath and Biblical dietary laws. They are religious Zionists – i.e., they dream of a return to Zion. They call themselves Beta Israel (House of Israel), and have wanted to live in the modern state of Israel since its establishment in 1948.” 

ORIGIN

Their origin is a bit clothed in mystery, but there are a couple of theories out there. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the origins of Ethiopian Jews in the following way; “Beta Israel, formerly called Falasha also spelled Felasha (now known to be pejorative) are Jews of Ethiopian origin. Their beginnings are obscure and possibly polygenetic. The Beta Israel themselves claim descent from Menilek I, traditionally the son of the Queen of Sheba (Makeda) and King Solomon.”

It seems that the Queen may have done more than just interview Solomon. Some bible scholars have speculated that Solomon and the Queen of Sheba were married, pointing to the Song of Solomon. “I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon. Song of Solomon 1:5 (NASB)According to Chabad.org, another Beta Israel origin story is explained in this way:

“Eldad the Danite (in the 9^th century, Eldad was a Jewish man of dark skin who appeared in Egypt and created a stir in that Jewish community) said that the Jews of his own kingdom descended from the tribe of Dan (which included the Biblical war-hero Samson) who had fled the civil war in the Kingdom of Israel between Solomon’s son Rehoboam and Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and resettled in Egypt. From there, they moved southwards up the Nile into Ethiopia. The Beta Israel say this confirms that they are descended from these Danites. Some Beta Israel, however, assert that their Danite origins go back to the time of Moses, when some Danites parted from other Jews right after the Exodus and moved south to Ethiopia. Eldad the Danite speaks of at least three waves of Jewish immigration into his region, creating other Jewish tribes and kingdoms. The earliest wave settled in a remote kingdom of the “tribe of Moses”: this was the strongest and most secure Jewish kingdom of all, with farming villages, cities and great wealth. Other Ethiopian Jews who appeared in the Mediterranean world over the succeeding centuries and persuaded rabbinic authorities there that they were of Jewish descent, and so could if slaves be ransomed by Jewish communities, join synagogues, marry other Jews, etc, also referred to the Mosaic and Danite origins of Ethiopian Jewry. The Mosaic claims of the Beta Israel, in any case, like those of the Zagwe dynasty, are ancient.^]”

The most fascinating aspect of Beta Israel is their adherence to certain Jewish traditions despite being completely isolated from the broader Jewish community; and just like their Jewish brethren, their ever longing to return to Zion marks them. This longing that all Jews feel when living away from Jerusalem is truly captured in the following Psalm.

137 By the waters of Babylon,
    there we sat down and wept,
    when we remembered Zion.
² On the willows^[a] there
    we hung up our lyres.
³ For there our captors
    required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴ How shall we sing the Lord’s song
    in a foreign land?
⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    let my right hand forget its skill!
⁶ Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
    above my highest joy!

Psalm 137:1-6 (ESV)

BETA ISRAEL AND CHRISTIANS

Some folks may be surprised to know that Ethiopia is considered to be the world’s first Christian nation. But if you read the New Testament it shouldn’t be a total surprise. The following is the beginning of the fascinating encounter that Phillip had with the first Ethiopian convert in Acts 8:26-29, 32-38 (ESV).

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south^[a] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. ²⁷ And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

³² Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
    and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he opens not his mouth.
³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him.
    Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”

³⁴ And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶ And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”^[b] 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Crudely, we find by the 14^th century Christians as well as the Muslim community didn’t think too highly of Beta Israel. According to Cultural Survival, besides accusing them of being Christ-killers–

 “They also held strange superstitious beliefs towards them. They thought they turned into hyenas at night, possess young women, eat corpses or turn them into animals, prey on children, kill cattle, and turn people into donkeys to enslave them. Jews are often blamed for causing hunger, crop failure, blindness, insanity, illness, and death.”

Adding to that, Portuguese missionaries came in and threw more wood on the fire by promoting the idea that the Ethiopian Jews were evil and partook in tormenting Christians. It’s no wonder that to this day Beta Israel is very wary of strangers, and they ostracize Christian converts.

AFTER 2000 YEARS-THE LAW OF RETURN

“The State of Israel will be open to the immigration of Jews and the ingathering of exiles from all countries of their dispersion,” asserts Israel’s Declaration of Independence. The 1950 Law of Return codified this mission to gather Jews from around the world by granting them the right to settle in Israel and gain automatic citizenship.” *myjewishlearning.com

The following prophecy concerns the return of Beta Israel to Israel:

¹¹ In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush,^] from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

¹² He will raise a signal for the nations
    and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
    from the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:11-12 (ESV)

For those who are unfamiliar with Cush. According to the Amazing Bible Timeline: “The word Cush means black. Biblically, Cush is the son of Ham and father of Nimrod. He is considered the ancestor of the dark-skinned people that occupied Ethiopia. His name is often associated with Ethiopia.”

Isaiah clearly confirms God’s saving hand towards Ethiopian Jews. Why is this so important? Because it wasn’t a consensus, not all Israelites wanted them to return. They had a myriad of reasons why the Beta Jews didn’t belong in Israel. The following Wikipedia quote sheds some light on various Israeli concerns.

“In the decade leading up to the operation, there was a heated division within the Israeli community over whether to accept the Ethiopians. The reasoning against bringing in Ethiopians proved to be very diverse. Some Jews within Israel feared a “shanda fur di goyim” (embarrassment in front of the non-Jews), and thus aimed to avoid the issue of stirring up controversy by ignoring the pleas of the Ethiopian Jews.^[9] Others advocated for the operation, but avoided public demonstrations that might lead to arrests and further public controversy. Taking a completely different approach, others within the Israeli community claimed that there was a cultural divide which would make the integration process untenable; these included Director General of the Jewish Agency’s Department of Immigration and Absorption Yehuda Dominitz, who likened this displacement to “taking a fish out of water”.^[10] Still others elaborated on this vague notion with more provocative claims, such as World Zionist Organization writer Malkah Raymist, who argued that the Ethiopians’ “mental outlook is that of children… It would take several years before they could be educated towards a minimum of progressive thinking.”^[11] However, ultimately, these counter-arguments were in vain, as the Israeli government went ahead and conducted the airlift anyway, and the jubilant Ethiopians were greeted as they exited the planes by thousands of joyous Israelis.”

It really didn’t matter that some Israelis resisted this great deliverance. WHY? Because Beta Israel’s deliverance was of God!

FROM OPERATION BROTHER TO MOSES JOSHUA SOLOMON

Moses, Joshua, and Solomon were the names of the operations that took place to airlift Beta Israel out of Ethiopia while Operation Brother, the very first operation, took place first through boats. I’ll be covering the airlifts first and then end with Operation Brother.

After Operation Brother that started in ’79, there was still a great concern for the persecution the remaining Beta Israelites were experiencing. Richard Krieger, the Associate U.S. Coordinator for Refugee Affairs, was the brainchild of the next operation called “Moses”. Before any operations took place, there were roughly 250 Ethiopian immigrants in Israel, but with the help of many agencies, including Israel Defense Forces and the C.I.A., thousands of Betas were airlifted 200 at a time to Israel. These Operation Moses airlifts took place between 1984 to 1985.

Also, there was a follow-up airlift called” Operation Joshua” that took place in 1985. That lift transported over 650 Betas.

In 1991, the governments of Ethiopia were experiencing an even greater amount of destabilization. Because their lives were in immediate danger, it was soon decided that another airlift was needed to rescue the remaining Betas. This third airlift was called “Operation Solomon”.

Through the synergy of various agencies and the fact that Ethiopia and Israel at the time were on right terms, Solomon went into motion. The team was expecting to airlift what a “747” normally carries: 760 passengers. Instead, like a crew in a storm tossing everything to lighten their ship’s load, they decided to empty the jet of all its’ chairs to make room for more Ethiopians. Because of the brutal living conditions and famines, the Ethiopians were malnourished; causing them to be very thin. Instead of 760 passengers, they were able to load 1087 (actually 1122 passengers, some children hid behind their mother’s skirts) passengers, setting world records for most passengers on a plane. Something else happened while these refugees were in their 747 flying lifeboat; five babies were born! Why is this significant? We know that the scriptures often record unique and unusual situations. For instance, more than one scripture sets apart the Jews coming from the north, and then generally from all over the world such as—“See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth…” Jer 31:8. Russia is North of Israel. So which country has the most Jews returning to Israel? You guessed it: Russia. Over a million of them.

As far as births, they couldn’t wait for expectant mothers to have their babies; they had to get on board and go. Since these babies were born 30,000 feet up, there’s no country on earth written on their birth certificate. The rest of Jeremiah 31:8 prophetically captures their unique situation.

“….Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.” Jer 31:8

BROTHERS BY BOAT

Before Moses, Joshua, and Solomon, there was the very first operation that required absolute top secrecy. It was named “Operation Brother”. Instead of being airlifted, the Betas were transported by way of Sudan in boats to Israel. This mission started in 1979 and ran for about 5 years, saving thousands of lives.

Between civil war, famine, infighting between different rebel groups, and economic instability, Ethiopian Jews, who were ready to go, were urged by community activists to leave the country. The 700-mile trek to Sudan through the desert was incredibly dangerous with 4000 out of 20,000 dying in rout over the years.

HOTEL

What made this story so unique is that they needed a cover in Sudan to sneak the Beta Jews to Israel. Incredibly, they found an old, Italian built, abandoned hotel off the coast of Sudan. So Israeli agents hatched a bold but delicate plan. They converted the hotel into a fake/real resort called “The Red Sea Diving Resort”. With the help of Ethiopian activists getting Beta’s to the coast and recruited Mossad agents from all over the world, Operation Brother was a go.

Sudanese International Tourist Corporation really did believe they were renting the hotel to diving enthusiasts and resort managers, not knowing that from the managers on down, they were all undercover Israeli operatives. The whole time while Jews were being saved, many vacationers came through the real operating resort oblivious to the fact that it was a front for saving lives.

Over 8000 Ethiopian Jews were transported by boat by way of the Red Sea Diving Resort. Who knew that an old abandoned hotel off the coast of Sudan would be used to help fulfill bible prophecy!

IN CONCLUSION

The privilege and joy of seeing God fulfill His prophetic word so precisely is such a gift and treasure to our faith. Although they have faced great hardships, discrimination, and many setbacks, the number of Beta Israelites in Israel are 150,000 strong. I heard someone say that God’s word is more true and accurate than tomorrow’s newspaper headlines. But I would say that His word is more true than tomorrow. Let us continue to pray for Israel, with the hope that Abraham’s lineage would receive and believe in their savior: Jesus the Christ.

The following is a short clip from the Netflix docudrama based on Operation Brother.

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SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
there’s a land that I have heard of once in a lullaby
somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
and wake up where the clouds are far behind me
where troubles melt like lemon drops
way above the chimney tops that’s where you’ll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
birds fly over the rainbow why then oh why can’t I?

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. Revelation 7:9

SONGS OF THE HEART

Who can forget such a beautiful song and that special heart-stopping moment when the soaring, pure voice of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, warmly embraces you while touching something deep within your soul. It is one of those songs that transports the listener to another place, even another time. Unsurprisingly, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became Judy Garland’s signature song, as well as one of the most enduring standards of the 20th century.

Why does this song resonate with us so? I will attempt to explore and answer this question in the following paragraphs because it just seems that on our own were incapable of really obtaining, or even touching that special place over the rainbow.

ANOTHER SONG

John Lennon, of the British rock group the Beatles, also wrote a song that struck a chord with a whole lot of people.

“Imagine”

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today… Aha-ah…

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace… You…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world… You…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

“Imagine”, one of the top songs of all time, appealed to many people. It was offensive to many as well, but at the end of the day, John pretty much puts his finger on many of the things that divide us as human beings. He imagines that if these dividers were removed, mankind would become a beautiful family. Who wouldn’t find such an outcome appealing?

THIS DECADE

“HAPPY”

It might seem crazy what I’m ’bout to say
Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break
I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way
Huh, because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do
Here come bad news, talking this and that
(Yeah) Well, give me all you got, and don’t hold it back
(Yeah) Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine
(Yeah) No offense to you, don’t waste your time
Here’s why
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
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Hey, come on, uh
Bring me down, can’t nuthin’ (happy)
Bring me down
My level is too high to bring me down (happy)
Can’t nuthin’, bring me down (happy)
I said, let me tell you now, unh (happy)
Bring me down, can’t nuthin’, bring me down (happy, happy, happy)
My level is too high to bring me down (happy, happy, happy)
Can’t nuthin’ bring me down (happy, happy, happy)
I said

“Happy”, written and produced by Pharrell Williams, was one of the most upbeat songs of this decade. It reached the number one spot on US Billboard Hot 100 in 2014. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. His song was also the number one single in over 25 nations. Nations such as Austria, Luxemburg, Mexico, and Venezuela; “Happy” truly had an international appeal.

Although being happy is more an emotion than a place, it is exalted as something that we all should pursue; even America’s Declaration of Independence makes it clear that we all have a right to pursue happiness. Pharrell, understandably so, believes happiness is the truth.

WHAT’S THE ANSWER

Unfortunately, the harsh realities of this world clash with Dorothy‘s, John‘s, and Pharrell’s songs. People have been truly divided on all levels and none of the problems have melted away like lemon drops. Nation states are always plotting and scheming against each other while lusting for global resources and hegemony. They think these things will make them safe. From oil and gold to rare minerals that are crucial to nuclear warheads and computer chips, nation states will destroy other nations, or covertly cause regime change to get their “stuff“.

We also have economic gatekeepers with concentrated wealth, that have all kinds of agendas that they believe are the answers for the world. Some believe that de-population is the answer, so they support the mass scale deaths of their fellow man while they imagine themselves to be gods. They consider the rest of mankind to be dispensable. On the other hand, some of the super-wealthy believe that outer space is the answer with the “haves” starting a colony on Mars, or some planet, while the “have-nots” are left fighting it out on a decaying and dying world.

You also have mammoth multinational corporations who scour the globe for resources to keep their businesses on top. Their only loyalty is to stockholders and the bottom line. Corporations are made up of people, folks that have the luxury of doing incredibly hideous and self-serving things while hiding behind a logo. As with everything else, you can’t use a broad brush with corporations, but one look at the cigarette industry, and how they knew that they had a product of disease and death long before they came under investigation, and how they continued to aggressively try to get as many people addicted as possible, speaks volumes.

Another case study of the divisive impact of corporations, nation states, and resources, is the raging Congo. According to a study released by the International Rescue Committee in 2008, the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its aftermath is the deadliest conflict since World War II. An estimated 5.4 million people have been killed in the country since 1998 and 45,000 deaths occur each month–a loss equivalent to the entire population of Colorado. Why is this happening? It’s happening because the Congo is the worlds biggest source of Coltan. You must have Coltan to manufacture cell- phones, smartphones, computers, and last but not least, flying robots of death: drones. Military and aerospace technologies have to have this “conflict” mineral to withstand the high levels of heat that their technologies produce. The Congo should be the richest country in the world, but grievously, many nation-states and multinational corporations believe in destabilizing and killing, so they can take and purchase rare metals at pennies on the dollar.

It also must be noted that during and after the time of Pharrell’s “Happy” song, the death rates from opioids in America increased by 72.2%. Heroin death rates increased by 20.6%. Very unhappy people looking for something to take the “edge off” end up killing themselves in their pursuit. It isn’t uncommon to find dead overdose victims in fast food bathrooms and closets. Truly the opioid/heroin epidemic has become a scourge on the land. Singing about being happy didn’t seem to make any noticeable dent in the emotional landscape.

DOES RELIGION DIVIDE

Lennon imagined that life would be smooth without the heaven and hell of religion. He had a point. Although more people perished from secular wars than from religious wars, millions have died in the name of religion. Even in the scriptures, Paul, the former Pharisee of all Pharisees, was murdering Christians while believing that he was doing God’s will.

9 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Acts 9

Also, Jesus himself said;

“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:51-53)

It’s true, many Christians all over the world have been attacked, and even martyred by members of their own family for being followers of Christ.

It’s important to add Romans 14:19 as well:

19 Let us, therefore, make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Although great division can come between people who accept Christ and those who don‘t, Christians are to make every effort to walk in love and peace whenever possible.

RUMORS OF WAR

War is a huge source of division that the Bible makes clear will dramatically increase during the prophesied “Beginning of Sorrows”:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Matt 24: 4-6

The list of wars and rumors of war in our time have been profound. At the time of this writing, President Trump has barely been in office for a full year, but he has had to deal with America’s perpetual sixteen-year war in Afghanistan; a limited engagement type of war in Iraq; continuous drone wars in the name of terrorism in at least four other countries. He also has had to deal with the potential rumor of an all-out war with North Korea (that, fortunately, has recently made a turn for the better) which in turn could escalate into wars with Russia and China. Also, he has had to deal with the war in Syria, which again could easily be turned into an all-out conflict with Syria‘s ally: Russia. The president and many major players like Israel’s Netanyahu are pushing for an American/Iran war over Iran’s perceived nuclear ambitions. America is also supporting awful wars in Yemen as well as the Congo. All these wars and rumors of war are just a list of America’s wars, let alone the entire globe.

Time doesn’t allow us to cover all the things that divide mankind. From the clashing of races and the sexes, identity politics, political parties to church denominations and beliefs. It seems John Lennon does kind of have a point, I say kind of because he assumes mankind is basically good and can be good if all the divisive stuff was moved out of the way. Really?

WHAT IS THIS LONGING

Garland’s, Lennon’s, and Pharrell’s songs undeniably resonate with people, more so now than ever, but what is this longing, this beautiful place that Dorothy refers to? An excerpt from the highest book on all things spiritual starts to make things clear:

11He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

Since God has written eternity on our hearts, we can’t help but want to live forever. It really shows up in the young because they never think of dying and how fragile life really is, which can, unfortunately, translate into risky behavior. Meanwhile, older folks try not to think or talk about death because they are painfully aware that their time is almost up.

Mankind is spiritually hungry for that peaceful eternal place that Dorothy wonderfully sings about.

IS IT HERE?

Both Lennon’s and Dorothy’s songs sing about dreams and the longing for those dreams to come true. I propose that the real place that Dorothy sings about isn’t somewhere over a rainbow, but it is a place, a place far greater than what she or Lennon can imagine.; and a permanent joy and happiness far greater than the temporary happiness Pharrell sings about. This place is a Kingdom, and in this Kingdom deep-seated dreams do come true. Like dreams of all our tears being wiped from our eyes; the dream of being free from death and division; the desire to experience love to the fullest actually comes true in this Kingdom, because the King of this kingdom IS love; the dream of people getting along and loving each other really happens in this Kingdom because there will be no darkness. Lastly, those who reject this holy and true love and embrace darkness will be forever banished from this Kingdom. The most amazing thing is–not only will those born of the Spirit experience these things in the next age, but they can experience this expanding Kingdom through Christ–right here–right now!

LENNON

Lennon’s “Imagine” does have some spiritual significance, but not how he meant it. He thinks that when situations that divide us are moved out of the way peace will come, but what he doesn’t understand is that man, all by himself, is the problem. The one thing that truly and universally divides us isn’t mentioned in Lennon’s song. That one thing is our fallen sinful nature; IT must be moved out of the way. Our sinful nature is the real divider, not only from other human beings but more importantly, it has divided us from our Creator. Mankind purged of conflict and left to himself will still self-destruct, because our horrible sinful nature is just as much a part of us as the blood in our veins. As a matter of fact, God in His wisdom has respected the choices of prideful man by letting him reap the consequences of rejecting his creator. The scriptures make it clear concerning the fruit of man doing his own thing—war, a constant increase in lawlessness, betrayal, and rebellion that culminates in Matthew 24:21.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

Basically, if God doesn’t intervene and cut these tragic days short–no one. no. not one. would make it.

IN CONCLUSION

Dorothy and Lennon had a dream in their songs. Their dreams are like an aching in the heart. An aching that resides deep within us all, but the beautiful thing about that aching is—you don’t have to write it off as a dream or fantasy; it’s to lead us to the Most High; the God who desires to be your Heavenly Father. He alone can fulfill the dreams that He has written on our hearts and give you that deep-seated happiness Pharrell sings about. He’s the Great I Am, the Creator and lover of our souls through His indescribable son: Jesus Christ. All that we ache for is in Him.

Luke 17:20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also, he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty, I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Not too many people would disagree that Trump being elected was one of the most shocking presidential nominations of all time. There was a mountain of resistance that was aimed at President Trump from the get go, and it only continued to stack higher. The contest came down to two people that were the least liked presidential candidates in modern times, possibly ever. These two candidates were the only ones that had a legitimate chance to win. Many people, dealing with the hand that was dealt, cried out to God for their candidate to win. Hillary Clinton, if elected, could have been the first female president of the United States, so her supporters were very passionate. Trump, on the other hand, embraced some important Christian values, such as being pro life, and standing strong with Israel, that moved many Evangelicals to cry out for the Lord to make a way. God did make a way! Just like He made a way for President Obama, and those before him; the same for President Trump, for the word says–

1. Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1

There seemed to be a collective sigh among evangelicals as Trump was elected, in contrast, an audible howl from his enemies.

AS CHRISTIANS, HOW ARE WE TO LOOK AT TRUMP?

We must have perspective and balance. There are many extremes, some people believe Trump is going to save America and restore it to its’ Christian roots, while others believe Trump has given America a reprieve, a type of deliverance, or stay from judgment. Of course, his enemies believe his presidency is, and will continue to be, a total disaster.

One thing that Christians have to be cautious about, and that is not to read too much into what the Trump presidency means; even though, to those who follow politics, his nomination and election seemed quite miraculous.
There is no way of knowing whether Pres. Trump is a Christian or not, only God knows. However, God is not limited to only using Christians to advance His will. All men are subject to God and through His wisdom He moves accordingly. For example, Pharaoh, an idol worshiper during the times of Moses, was such a man that God used to advance His agenda.

GOD’S WAYS

Many critics of the word of God try to use scripture to find faults and make God out to be cruel. One of their favorite scriptures is how the Bible says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and then punished him for having a hard heart. Tragically these critics are in complete darkness, for the bible must be discerned by the Spirit. The bible warns us of such men who twist things to their own destruction:

2 Peter 3:15-17 (ESV)
“15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.”

It’s clear that the wrong understanding of God’s word can lead to instability. It is so vital that we rightly divide the word of truth. Therefore, as we look at Pharaoh, and God’s dealings with him, we need to see clearly because God’s character (in peoples minds) is on the line.

I came across some great teaching that was so good, and confirmed what I was discerning, that I’m posting some of it here below. The title of the teaching is, “Who Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart?”, by Dave Miller, Ph.D. and Kyle Butt, M.Div.
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“In his copious work on biblical figures of speech, E.W. Bullinger listed several ways that the Hebrew and Greek languages used verbs to mean something other than their strict, literal usage. He listed several verses that show that the languages “used active verbs to express the agent’s design or attempt to do anything, even though the thing was not actually done” (1898, p. 821). To illustrate, in discussing the Israelites, Deuteronomy 28:68 states: “Ye shall be sold (i.e., put up for sale) unto your enemies…and no man shall buy you.” The translators of the New King James Version recognized the idiom and rendered the verse, “you shall be offered for sale.” The text clearly indicated that they would not be sold, because there would be no buyer, yet the Hebrew active verb for “sold” was used. In the New Testament, a clear example of this type of usage is found in 1 John 1:10, which states, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God—KB/DM] a liar.” No one can make God a liar, but the attempt to deny sin is the equivalent of attempting to make God a liar, which is rendered with an active verb as if it actually happened. Verbs, therefore, can have idiomatic usages that may convey something other than a strict, literal meaning.”

“With that in mind, Bullinger’s fourth list of idiomatic verbs deals with active verbs that “were used by the Hebrews to express, not the doing of the thing, but the permission of the thing which the agent is said to do” (p. 823, emp. in orig.). To illustrate, in commenting on Exodus 4:21, Bullinger stated: “ ‘I will harden his heart (i.e., I will permit or suffer his heart to be hardened), that he shall not let the people go.’ So in all the passages which speak of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. As is clear from the common use of the same Idiom in the following passages” (1968, p. 823). He then listed Jeremiah 4:10, “ ‘Lord God, surely thou hast greatly deceived this people’: i.e., thou hast suffered this People to be greatly deceived, by the false prophets….’ ” Ezekiel 14:9 is also given as an example of this type of usage: “ ‘If the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet’: i.e., I have permitted him to deceive himself.” James MacKnight, in a lengthy section on biblical idioms, agrees with Bullinger’s assessment that in Hebrew active verbs can express permission and not direct action. This explanation unquestionably clarifies the question of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. When the text says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it means that God would permit or allow Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened.”

Therefore God glorified Himself by allowing Pharaoh to indulge in his own wicked hard heart.

A WORD OF CAUTION

You don’t want the Creator and Sustainer of all life to turn you over to your own self. No, you don’t want that….

Romans 1:28
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

There’s a lot more to this Dave Miller and Kyle Butt’s article worth reading, it should come up on Google. Thanks be to God for these men who put in such thorough work.

IN CONCLUSION

I said all that to say this, whether Trump is a Christian or not, only God knows. The bottom line is, at this time, he is our president. So is God with Trump in every thing he does?–Of course not. Should Christians put him on a pedestal?–Of course not. Should Christians trample him into the ground for his faults?–No, of course not. What should be done?—Christians should pray for our authorities without ceasing, supporting that which is good, while rejecting that which is evil.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (ESV)

2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The latest buzz word that has taken hold in American society is something called “fake news“. Fake news, as defined by 60 Minutes Overtime and the Guardian, is:

“a neologism used to refer to non-satirical news stories, which have originated online (on social media or fake news websites) or in the traditional news media, have no basis in fact, but are presented as and believed to be factually accurate. Michael Radutzky, a producer of CBS 60 Minutes, said his show considers fake news to be “stories that are provably false, have enormous traction in the culture, and are consumed by millions of people.” He did not include fake news that is “invoked by politicians against the media for stories that they don’t like or for comments that they don’t like.” Guy Campanile, also a 60 Minutes producer said, “What we are talking about are stories that are fabricated out of thin air. By most measures, deliberately, and by any definition, that’s a lie.”

Fake news has been around for a long time. As long as there have been societies, there’s been fake news. The military likes to call it “Psyops” or Psychological operations as defined below:

Psychological operations (PSYOP) are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.

After all is said and done, fake news is simply about misleading people. Some of the ways it’s pulled off is by only providing half truths; words taken out of context; no perspective presented; sometimes, no coverage at all; and last but not least, some news is completely fabricated.

To be able to inform, or influence a population is a very powerful place of trust. America’s forefathers truly understood the impact of news and how crucial it was to our forming Democracy. The following amendment, including freedom of the press, was vital for a healthy nation:

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, ensuring that there is no prohibition on the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights. Wikipedia

As long as the press was free and many were able to participate, the truth had a great chance to get to the masses. Unfortunately, it has been reported that 90% of all the news outlets in America have been bought out by six corporations. If that is true, with that kind of control so concentrated, it’s not surprising that the news has been accused of being fake and one sided.

SUBJECTIVITY

Is it really a surprise that news has become manipulated? Philosophers of the past have laid down the ground work for people to justify deception. Moral Relativism is one of those philosophies. Sean McDowell, in a presentation said that:

—Moral Relativism is the view that moral truths depend on the individual or group who hold them. There are no moral absolutes, no objective ethical right and wrong. Morals are subjective, like ice cream preferences.—

SPIN

If one were to make a fake news cake, the number one ingredient would be “spin”. What is spin?

In public relations and politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure. While traditional public relations and advertising may also rely on altering the presentation of the facts, “spin” often implies the use of disingenuous, deceptive, and highly manipulative tactics.[1] William Safire, “The Spinner Spun”, New York Times, December 22, 1996.

Again, because of moral relativism, people believe it’s alright to spin if you can get away with it; from the news, even to Christian books, spinning has flooded the media.

HISTORIC FAKE NEWS

Some people have taken lying or fake news to another level to get what they want. Adolf Hiltler was such a person. He called his lying technique: the Big Lie–

“A big lie (German: große Lüge) is a propaganda technique. The expression was coined by Adolf Hitler, when he dictated his 1925 book Mein Kampf, about the use of a lie so “colossal” that no one would believe that someone “could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.” Hitler claimed the technique was used by “the Jews” to blame Germany’s loss in World War I on German general Erich Ludendorff, who was a prominent nationalist and anti-Semitic political leader in the Weimar Republic.” Wikipedia

Hitler had the audacity of blaming the Jews for using this big lie technique when history shows that this was the very technique he used to brainwash the German people into hating the German Jews.

REPITITION

An important part of the lying equation that works particularly well with the masses is the technique of repeating the same lie over and over. Repetition helps people to finally believe something like the “Big Lie“. Disastrously, hearing lies over and over is Satan‘s counterfeit faith used to wreck havoc in the world. In contrast, repeatedly hearing God’s word over and over can ignite Faith in a believer, empowering him/her through the Spirit of Truth, to bring light into the world:

Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

THE FATHERS VIEW

It’s a beautiful thing when someone hears the word of God, mix it with faith, embrace it, and act upon it under the power of the Holy Ghost! This is the faith that God treasures and requires from all His children. It’s a tragic thing when someone hears a lie, acts upon it, and brings great harm, not only to himself, but makes the world a little worse.

ONE EXCEPTION TO LYING
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There is one exception to lying that is approved of by the Most High. That’s when one lies to resist evil to save lives. In Exodus 1:17-19 Pharaoh wanted the midwives to kill all the Hebrew boys. The midwives disobeyed and lied to Pharaoh about why they didn’t kill them:

17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” ESV

In Joshua 2 we also find the prostitute Rahab, who’s mentioned in the roll call of faith, saving the lives of two spies from the nation of Israel. When Rahab’s king asked her to bring them out, she lied and said they left early, but in reality she was hiding them.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) ESV

IT MATTERS

Besides the exception to save life by resisting evil, our loving God’s anger and hate for lies is totally understandable, evil lying always does damage.

So, does lying matter much? It may not to you, but it matters quite a bit to the “Most High“. So much so, that He makes it clear that liars shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Hypothetically, if a person wasn’t written in the Lambs book of life, perfectly obeyed all of God’s commands, but let loose just one lie; that one lie would be enough to evoke the wrath and judgment of God, for He is Holy, without blemish, there‘s no darkness in Him. Praise God we have the perfect advocate in Jesus, who took all of our sins upon himself, and paid the terrible price on Calvary!

Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

It’s vital that as Christians, we look at lying far more seriously than the world does!
First off, we need to know who the father of all lies is.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Just as God is love personified, the devil is lying personified. He is a living lie; it is his character, his nature, his very substance. While Americans speak English, the devil speaks Lie-glish. It is his mother tongue. It’s his power.

Satan’s biggest lie of mass destruction involving man took place at the Garden of Eden.

4The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5″For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5

As we all know; man, believing Satan’s lie, ate the fruit and he did die; he died a horrifying death. Not just a physical death after some years, but a spiritual death; separation from God. To go from walking with God in peace and tranquility, to being cut off from God by sin while dealing with curses and instability, what a devastating price to pay! Thank the Lord that God wasn’t caught off guard, for we learn that He already had a plan!

God makes it so clear how He feels about lying when He gave the 10 commandments. The ninth commandment says; “Do not give false witness against your neighbor“.

We live in a society that says words are cheap, but there’s a big problem with that—-God doesn’t. For example:

James 5:12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

James 3:4-12 4Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Society embraces the philosophy of “ends justify the means“; go ahead and lie when you need to, just do it! Only thing, with God, the end doesn’t justify the means. That prostitute may feel justified in selling her body to feed her child, but God is still grieved. If she would just repent and call on the name of the Lord, He will open a door and show her a way to make an honest living.

The world may feel its ok to spout off any falsehood thinking there will be no consequences, but that flippant attitude will be called into account on judgment day.

Matthew 12:36-37 But I tell you that men will give an account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.”…

 

Are heroes really needed? So much so, that sometimes they’re contrived. America had a desperate need for a hero during the tragic Iraq war. In response to that need we find America‘s proud military stooping to Reality TV tactics by manufacturing an epic story around 19 yr. old Private Jessica Lynch.

At the time, President George W. Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq was experiencing talk of being bogged down, with victory taking way too long. The administration desperately needed some good news. That’s when America’s first female prisoner of war came on the scene. The Guardian’s John Kampfner discovered the real story behind a modern American war myth.

“Jessica Lynch became an icon of the war. An all-American heroine, the story of her capture by the Iraqis and her rescue by US special forces became one of the great patriotic moments of the conflict.”

Unfortunately, “Her rescue will go down as one of the most stunning pieces of news management yet conceived. It provides a remarkable insight into the real influence of Hollywood producers on the Pentagon’s media managers, and has produced a template from which America hopes to present its future wars.”

This was the situation; Private Lynch and crew took a wrong turn near Nassiriya and were ambushed. It was reported in the Washington Post that during the ambush she fought fiercely and killed many Iraqis even after she was shot and stabbed. Nine of her fellow soldiers were killed and she was taken to a hospital supposedly swarming with Fedayeen. A five-minute film was released to all of the networks claiming that Lynch had stab and bullet wounds, and she was slapped around while being interrogated lying in her hospital bed . According to the news release, the following transpires next.

“Just after midnight, Army Rangers and Navy Seals stormed the Nassiriya hospital. Their “daring” assault on enemy territory was captured by the military’s night-vision camera. They were said to have come under fire, but they made it to Lynch and whisked her away by helicopter”. Wow, great hero and rescue story!

AN AMERICAN HERO?

“As for Lynch, her status as cult hero [at the time] is stronger than ever. Internet auction sites have listed at least 10 Jessica Lynch items, ranging from an oil painting with an opening bid of $200 to a $5 “America Loves Jessica Lynch” fridge magnet. Trouble is that doctors now say she has no recollection of the whole episode and probably never will. Her memory loss means that “researchers” have been called in to fill in the gaps.”

THE REAL STORY

“We gave her three bottles of blood, two of them from the medical staff because there was no blood at this time.” said Dr Harith al-Houssona, who looked after her throughout her ordeal. “I examined her, I saw she had a broken arm, a broken thigh and a dislocated ankle. Then I did another examination. There was no [sign of] shooting, no bullet inside her body, no stab wound – only RTA, road traffic accident,” he recalled. “They want to distort the picture. I don’t know why they think there is some benefit in saying she has a bullet injury.”

“The doctors told us that the day before the Special Forces swooped on the hospital the Iraqi military had fled. Hassam Hamoud, a waiter at a local restaurant, said he saw the American advance party land in the town. He said the team’s Arabic interpreter asked him where the hospital was. “He asked: ‘Are there any Fedayeen over there?’ and I said, ‘No’.” All the same, the next day “America’s finest warriors” descended on the building.”

“We heard the noise of helicopters,” says Dr Anmar Uday. He says that they must have known there would be no resistance. “We were surprised. Why do this? There was no military; there were no soldiers in the hospital.

“It was like a Hollywood film. They cried, ‘Go, go, go’, with guns and blanks and the sound of explosions. They made a show – an action movie like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan, with jumping and shouting, breaking down doors.” All the time with the camera rolling. The Americans took no chances, restraining doctors and a patient who was handcuffed to a bed frame.”

What Jessica told CNN—”Stories of “a little girl ‘Rambo’ from the hills of West Virginia who went down fighting,” she testified, were not true. “I’m still confused as to why they chose to lie and try to make me a legend when the real heroics of my fellow soldiers that day were legendary.”

Jessica, a woman of honor, says to this day that her gun jammed, which stopped her from getting off any rounds right before she was knocked unconscious. She did suffer some crippling injuries that have required over 20 surgeries, but no bullet or stab wounds were found.

There are all kinds of heroes, but the manufactured ones, like the one they tried to make out of Pvt. Lynch, are the least desirable.

Jessica was one type of hero—the gone Hollywood type, but there are many kinds of heroes that we have all grown up with. It’s impossible to write about all of them, especially the real ones we’ve been blessed with—firemen, teachers, to soldiers and great leaders, all are truly underappreciated, nevertheless, in this article I intend to focus on some hero types, and their impact upon our society.

UP, UP AND AWAY

Comic book superheroes are hot in our society. I rate them a step up from fabricated ones, at least there’s no deception involved. You know from jump they aren’t real, but I got to ask, what is this fascination with comic book superheroes?

Anybody who keeps track of movies can’t help but see how Marvel and DC comics are cashing in on billions via their superhero conveyor belt. At the time of this writing “Captain America Civil War” is next on Marvel’s agenda (on a side note, they changed his name to just “Captain” for those of you who live in China and Russia). Anyhow, even the last two movies I went to were superhero movies: Avengers and Fantastic Four. Yes, I use to read all those comic books when I was a kid, so I just had to go see the movies. There was something about comic books that was so engrossing and magical. Nothing could distract me from reading them or looking at the cool artwork. I couldn’t get enough of Spiderman and his trials and tribulations dealing with Mary Jane and public perception. I was amazed at the Hulk, and how when he came under attack, he actually grew stronger AND bigger. I tried to figure out who could run faster, Superman or Flash (it was a photo finish tie). I loved the team work of the Fantastic Four, and when the Thing said, “It’s Clobberin’ Time!!” I knew some villain was going to wish they stayed in comic book bed that comic book morning. I guess you can tell that I have read a lot of superhero comic books, but what the heck was so mesmerizing about them? Me and a friend who use to come over and read them with me when we were kids was talking about that one day, he pointed out that there was something about them that kind of resonates with people spiritually. More on that later.

ENTERTAINERS AS HEROES

Entertainers such as actors, musicians and athletes have tremendous influence over our society. They’re definitely a step up from comic book heroes. There isn’t a day where trivia about their lives has the same weight in the national psyche as the news of global wars and the upheaval of entire nations. Through the power of global television and movies, actors, musician/singers, and athletes are exalted to such a high place, that millions of people know their names the world over. The scripture, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36 (ESV), takes on more and more meaning in these last days.

It truly is amazing when someone is televised or put on the big screen, they are automatically elevated in the audience’s eyes whether the audience is conscience of it or not. Behind the scenes these entertainers receive technological help as well that adds to their heroic mystique.

PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN

According to the website “Amazing Discoveries”, 96 percent of American homes have at least one television set. While watching these sets all kinds of programs come through, but one thing that I never understood is its ability to mildly hypnotize you. Check out this hypnotic scenario—a flickering light (your TV set) as a single-minded focus—a darkened room—no outside diversions—unfortunately, your living room can become the perfect environment for you to be hypnotized in. The site “Psych Mechanics” talks about the flicker-induced hypnotic state that TV viewing slides you into:

“Your mind slips into the hypnotic trance state within seconds of watching TV. This lowers your brainwaves to a lower ‘alpha state’ commonly associated with meditation and deep relaxation. This is believed to be caused by the screen flicker and explains why you feel sleepy while watching TV.
Under this state of trance, your subconscious mind becomes highly suggestible and whatever information you receive from the TV becomes part of your memory pool. Since beliefs are nothing but memories, this information has the tendency to alter your beliefs or form new ones when it seeps into your subconscious mind. You might think the remote is in your hand and you’re watching the programs but in truth you are the one who is getting programmed.”

Scary stuff!

Although thousands of studies have been done on the effects of television on our brains, the results have been hidden (seems like it anyway) from the general public. Television isn’t going to tell on itself, sadly, the money that’s involved is way more important than our well-being, nevertheless, the truth is out there and it’s overwhelming. The following exposition is disturbing on how TV has rewired the minds of past and present generations.

“Our sensitivity to stimuli reduces yearly by about 1%. The finer stimuli are filtered out of our consciousness, leaving more space for the coarser, stronger sensations. In fact, some psychologists believe that with each generation, we are losing the ability to process and accept more sensitive stimuli.

The Committee of Rational Psychology (CRP) conducted a study that found that adults who were shown violent videos of people reacted sympathetically and disgustedly. Most of them refused to even watch it through to the end. But the same reaction was not found in the younger generation.
Youth watched emotionless, more interested in drama and excitement. These young people would switch the movie off because they were bored, not because they were disgusted.
The CRP discovered a type of generation gap between the groups, which they defined as the “old” and “new” brain. Whoever was born before 1949 still had the “old brain.” Whoever was born between 1949 and 1969 had a modified version of the “old brain.” Only those who were born after 1969 possessed the “new brain.”
The “new brain” can, unlike the “old” one, react in a state of dissonance-readiness. Dissonance refers to a disturbance in a normally harmonious process. “The youth,” says Henner Ertel, “have grown up with contradictions and can handle them.” In the past, we would call this ability multiple-consciousness. Today it is considered normal.

The bottom line; everyone’s conscience is being seared by this stuff.

In the light of TV being consumed by us while unknowingly affecting our subconscious, it’s not surprising that people on TV have become larger than life, with a kind of aura around them.

Two individuals that have experienced the power of TV, and seemed quite heroic in their respective fields, have been exposed as being very different then their TV personas. Bill Cosby, who at one time was considered America’s dad, now faces the charges of being a serial rapist by over 50 women. Jared Fogle, the loveable weight loss spokesman for Subway sandwiches is facing jail time for being a secret insatiable pedophile. Most people that have watched these men under the spell of TV would never imagine these two being this far gone. The contrast of their TV personalities and their accused morally bankrupt behavior is vast. As the scripture says:

…let God be found true, though every man be found a liar…
Romans 3:4 (NASB)

So far we have covered a made up hero, superheroes, and entertainers as heroes. It’s time to look at a true hero that lived through a situation that could have been a plot for the latest James Bond movie. This is no movie; the following really happened.

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Most hero movies typically have a plot that puts the whole world in danger of being destroyed, but has there been a time in history when a couple of real heroes were actually used to stop the total destruction of the earth? President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy come to mind. During the Cuban missile crisis, which was the closest we ever came to an all out nuclear exchange with Russia, the Kennedys were used mightily to stop the total annihilation of the world.

“Modern day historians note that the standoff nearly turned into a global calamity. With bombers in the air and nearly 3000 American nuclear weapons alone in a state of readiness, the Cuban Missile Crisis could have led to the end of the world in mere minutes.” THE WEEK

“Had the United States launched an air strike and invaded Cuba, the Soviet commander on the scene would almost certainly have responded with about 100 tactical nuclear weapons under his control – tactical nuclear weapons JFK did not even know were on the island. The US would have felt compelled to respond in kind triggering an escalation to nuclear Armageddon. As RFK later recalled, the Executive Committee of the National Security Council advising JFK during the crisis was full of “bright, able dedicated people, all of whom had the greatest affection for the US, [but] if any of the six had been President—the world might have been blown up.

Instead of the air strike, JFK initially chose to impose a naval blockade on further arms shipments to Cuba.” Christian Science Monitor

Thank God for President Kennedy, and all those involved that helped stop a devastating nuclear exchange.

CHURCH HEROES(Must be kept in perspective)

From the painful prostitution scandal that tarnished Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, to the devastating fall of Pastor Ted Haggard who got involved with a male prostitute while doing crystal meth, Christian history is littered with many fallen heroes. Devastating hurt and disappointment have followed these men—men that people had put too high up on a Christian pedestal. The bible does say to give honor where honor is due, but should these men of God receive glory, praise, and exaltation above the King of Kings? God Forbid! No, and again I say no. Jesus alone is worthy! Take that imperfect man or woman off the pedestal of your heart and replace him/her with the perfect Jesus! If a man or woman of God is haughty, high and mighty, above reproach, not being careful to give God the praise, I say run! How can anyone receive God’s glory when it is God that gives the next beat of our hearts, our next breath. He alone is the Creator and Sustainer of all life!

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Isaiah 42:8 (ESV)

A NEW TYPE OF MAN

I promised earlier to return to the superhero theme. So, are there any real Superheroes out there? I don’t want to use the term superheroes to refer to these people. They are nothing like the imaginary superheroes in the comics and movies, but they are a new type of man. I rate these heroes as gifts to all of us, and I challenge every believer to become one too!

The greatest mystery

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:26-27(ESV)

The God of the universe not only decided to enable fallen man to be forgiven and grafted into His wondrous family and kingdom, but He decided to enable him to be vessels of His indescribable power—to be living temples filled with a measure of His precious Holy Spirit.

Man knows that in and of himself, he is powerless. One only needs to live long enough to see that we are fragile and dependant creatures. An invisible microscopic germ can easily turn our world upside down, even onto death. Our clear weaknesses point to why superheroes are so dependant on a source outside of themselves. The Hulk was affected by gamma rays; Peter Parker was bit by a radioactive spider, the alien called Superman, is empowered by being in a foreign solar system, etc. Comic book superheroes resonate with us because the underlying concept is based on the “real“–a supernatural reality—the fact that believers in Jesus are inwardly empowered by a source not originating with them—called the Holy Ghost. By His holy power, men and women are able to transcend the natural laws of this world.

One man kills 1000

And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. Judges 15:15 (ESV)

Day supernaturally extended (we know that the earth revolves around the sun, but this account is written from their viewpoint)

12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. Joshua 10:12-14 (ESV)

Miraculous healing

2And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. Acts 3:2-8 (ESV)

Shadow of anointed Saint heals many

14And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, 15to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed. Acts 5:15-16 (ESV)

These scriptures are a tiny example of the incredible things men/women did through the power of the Holy Spirit. Who made all of this possible? —Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God.

SAVED FROM WHAT?

Is death the worst thing that can happen to a nation or individual?

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matt 10:28(ESV)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 (ESV)

The bible makes it clear that death is NOT the worst thing that can happen to us. The worst thing that can happen to us is for our souls to be destroyed in the lake of fire.

Kennedy helped save the world from nuclear destruction but there is only one who can save us from being judged, rightfully condemned, and thrown into God’s garbage disposal—He’s JESUS, THE GREATEST HERO OF ALL!

8But of the Son He says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM. 9″YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.” 10And, “YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; Hebrews 1:8-10 (NASB)

8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:8-11(NASB)

He is our Redeemer, our Deliverer, our Glorious King, our Redemption, our Advocate, the Captain of our Salvation, our Bright and Morning Star, Our Savior!

There are a lot of flawed heroes out there that do their best to save some. There is only one perfect Savior who saved ALL who believe; He is the very essence of the word “save”; Jesus, the Lord and Savior of all mankind.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (ESV)