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Seventeen years ago, right after the Bush v Kerry election, we wrote a journal article, “A House Divided Against Itself,” about the state of our nation. It was specifically about the yawning divide that had opened up between the two parties, or more accurately, between two dueling visions of what our nation should be and will ultimately become. It is almost eerie that the nation would – or even could – remain divided in about equal parts – about half and half in each camp. The divide rolls right through families, friendships, and even churches, leaving much interpersonal wreckage in its wake.
Seventeen years later, that divide is not only just as evident but more deeply and bitterly entrenched and even more destructive of relationships and long-established institutions. And it still stands about half and half. We are a nation deeply and almost equally divided – still. There was a time when liberals and conservatives had essentially the same worldview and saw the same problems but had different solutions. They would even defend each other’s right to disagree.
The battle is fundamentally a spiritual one. Who will control the nation’s morals is what is at stake, but the fight has reached almost a fever pitch since it seems even more now that long-held freedoms seem to be on the chopping block. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are perhaps the two of these that cause the most friction. Will Americans be free to voice political or moral dissent without fear of being “canceled” or worse? Will Christian churches, say, still be able to preach and teach Christianity, or will Christian thought soon be equivalent to “hate speech?” Will riots and destruction continue to be unleashed upon people and institutions that disagree with the views of the mob? Might things now even take a turn for the worse? It was Abraham Lincoln, quoting Jesus (Mark 3:25), who said that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Our nation has obviously been standing divided for quite some years now, but it will not continue to stand if this course is not changed. It cannot.
Here’s a sobering thought: With both sides so angry at the other, will we be able to avoid another horrendous Civil War of brother against brother, kin against kin, and friend against friend, as we had in the 1860s? Anyone who is familiar with that bloody conflict will pray that we do not end up there.
Or is it possible while we are so divided that – perceiving an advantage in our disunity – another nation or group of nations might attack us, and we find ourselves too mutually alienated even to agree on how we should respond, much less successfully thwart or turn back such an assault? The words and warning of Abraham Lincoln in 1838 are just as poignant today:
At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? — Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never!–All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not, by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.
At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.1Abraham Lincoln Online, Lyceum Address, The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions: Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois; January 27, 1838
Will the world stand still for us until we get ourselves on the same track? That would be the polite thing to do, but no. As we commit suicide, it is safe to assume that other nations or blocs are already taking advantage of this gaping wound. By the sheer grace of God, most of us have lived our lives in safety and security, but can we assume that nothing will ever change that?
The divide cannot be attributed to mere policy squabbles between the parties. The bedrock of our society has always rested on our deep belief in God. Over the past decades, God has been asked to leave the schools and civic institutions, but now He is being all too often asked to leave the churches! Sadly, there is a deep apostasy descending on many churches of all denominations. Too many churches have let go of “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), preferring fresh and shinier new teachings that bear little resemblance to the faith of our fathers. This abandonment of the true faith within the churches has caused real and serious repercussions in the culture.
The Judeo-Christian morality which shaped and guided Western culture for nearly 2,000 years is very quickly disappearing into the mist of the nation’s rearview mirror. As we pointed out in “Atheists Need Christianity,” even many atheists are concerned about what happens next once all moral restrictions are removed. A lawless society is not a safe place to live and certainly no place to raise children. Our nation’s understanding of freedom and our national submission to the rule of law over the rule of the mob is based in Holy scripture. Where the rule of law does not hold sway, totalitarianism always enthrones itself to fill the vacuum. What happens to a nation who abandons the very mechanism for a free and moral – and even diverse – society?
The moral and ethical restraints which preserved our culture for centuries are being replaced with a far more changeable, “follow your feelings” variety. Something which was wrong yesterday is decreed perfectly acceptable today and demanded to be celebrated tomorrow. And what was right yesterday is declared a “sin” today by the same people who cannot stand the very idea of sin as Christians define it, a moral offense against a Holy God. Why, after all, should some God be allowed to decide what is right and wrong – for me? A contemporary “sin” is and will continue to be – in the eyes of the mob – what the loudest (and often the most violent) voices declare it to be, and virtue is decided the same way. But don’t get too comfortable because both can be changed on a whim. Feelings rule everything, and feelings are fickle. Bad is good, wrong is right, down is up, and the value of an individual human being is way down.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. (Isaiah 5:20-21)
We think it is at least possible that those who embrace these post-modern ideas today will eventually recognize, once “their side” is firmly in charge, the malevolent ramifications that may rapidly descend on any society without an unchanging moral restraint. Many might be horrified at the end result, just as so many Venezuelans awoke to a totalitarian nightmare of their own choosing that began with their election of Hugo Chavez in February of 1999.
The scripture says that “our battle is not against flesh and blood” – i.e., people, but against spiritual forces in high places. (Ephesians 6:12) Every human being is flawed, and every one of us is capable of being deceived. Don’t hate your loved ones “on the other side” or anyone, but pray for them that they may find peace with God and receive life eternal through their acknowledgment of the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said that God is not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26-27) It’s not about one’s church or denomination and not about performing enough “good deeds” to earn God’s love and acceptance. Anyone who seeks the Lord will find Him. All one must do is believe and call upon Him. (Roman 10:9-13)
We took a trip down memory lane and were amazed to read this article, “A Nation Divided Against Itself,” written after the election of 2004, which first appeared in the Winter 2005 Issue of the MCOI Journal, and compared our thoughts at that time to our thoughts today, in 2022. The article may be rather long, it was originally in a print publication, but it is well worth the read.Ω
© 2022, Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc All rights reserved. Excerpts and links may be used if full and clear credit is given with specific direction to the original content.
End Notes
| ↑1 | Abraham Lincoln Online, Lyceum Address, The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions: Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois; January 27, 1838 |
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It is so much worse today than in 2004. We did not have the schools open to trans people who dance in front of children half dressed, and who read nasty books to them. We did not have girls and women fear to use the bathroom because some predator might enter pretending to be female. Or girls who play in sports when a male is allowed to dress like a girl and beat the daylights out of them legally. One good thing that happened was the overturning of Roe vs. Wade decision. But the very bad thing about this is the Roman Catholics and other cults were in very large crowds praying for its overturn and the Evangelicals joined with them. This side of the conflict was ignored by “Christians”. The very dangerous false religions joined with Bible believers for a cause and prayed together. The apostasy as you said is the number one issue. To have “Christians” vote for murder in a liberal candidate is so very appalling to me. Yes, my sister who says she is born again votes very liberal and we can’t talk about politics period, or we will fight trying to change each other’s mind. But I know better. I say, “read the Bible” and see if it is right. She says, “I FEEL this is right or wrong”. In other wards like you said “feelings” trump everything. We communicate through text, and rarely speak on the phone. As a Christian if one quotes God wrongly, I have to correct them, and she knows it. “Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” Amos 3:1-5. Judgment is coming, and rescuing the perishing is our #1 priority!
Whether you believe in God or not, this is a must-read message!!!
Throughout time, we can see how we have been slowly conditioned to come to this point where we are on the verge of a cashless society. Did you know that the Bible foretold of this event almost 2,000 years ago?
In Revelation 13:16-18, we read,
“He (the false prophet who decieves many by his miracles) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”
Referring to the last generation, this could only be speaking of a cashless society. Why? Revelation 13:17 tells us that we cannot buy or sell unless we receive the mark of the beast. If physical money was still in use, we could buy or sell with one another without receiving the mark. This would contradict scripture that states we need the mark to buy or sell!
These verses could not be referring to something purely spiritual as scripture references two physical locations (our right hand or forehead) stating the mark will be on one “OR” the other. If this mark was purely spiritual, it would indicate only in one place.
This is where it really starts to come together. It is shocking how accurate the Bible is concerning the implatnable RFID microchip. These are notes from a man named Carl Sanders who worked with a team of engineers to help develop this RFID chip
“Carl Sanders sat in seventeen New World Order meetings with heads-of-state officials such as Henry Kissinger and Bob Gates of the C.I.A. to discuss plans on how to bring about this one-world system. The government commissioned Carl Sanders to design a microchip for identifying and controlling the peoples of the world—a microchip that could be inserted under the skin with a hypodermic needle (a quick, convenient method that would be gradually accepted by society).
Carl Sanders, with a team of engineers behind him, with U.S. grant monies supplied by tax dollars, took on this project and designed a microchip that is powered by a lithium battery, rechargeable through the temperature changes in our skin. Without the knowledge of the Bible (Brother Sanders was not a Christian at the time), these engineers spent one-and-a-half-million dollars doing research on the best and most convenient place to have the microchip inserted.
Guess what? These researchers found that the forehead and the back of the hand (the two places the Bible says the mark will go) are not just the most convenient places, but are also the only viable places for rapid, consistent temperature changes in the skin to recharge the lithium battery. The microchip is approximately seven millimeters in length, .75 millimeters in diameter, about the size of a grain of rice. It is capable of storing pages upon pages of information about you. All your general history, work history, crime record, health history, and financial data can be stored on this chip.
Brother Sanders believes that this microchip, which he regretfully helped design, is the “mark” spoken about in Revelation 13:16–18. The original Greek word for “mark” is “charagma,” which means a “scratch or etching.” It is also interesting to note that the number 666 is actually a word in the original Greek. The word is “chi xi stigma,” with the last part, “stigma,” also meaning “to stick or prick.” Carl believes this is referring to a hypodermic needle when they poke into the skin to inject the microchip.”
Mr. Sanders asked a doctor what would happen if the lithium contained within the RFID microchip leaked into the body. The doctor replied by saying a terrible sore would appear in that location. This is what the book of Revelation says:
“And the first (angel) went, and poured out his vial on the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore on the men which had the mark of the beast, and on them which worshipped his image” (Revelation 16:2).
You can read more about it here–and to also understand the mystery behind the number 666: https://2ruth.org/rfid-mark-of-the-beast-666-revealed/
The third angel’s warning in Revelation 14:9-11 states,
“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.'”
Who is Barack Obama, and why is he still in the public scene?
So what’s in the name? The meaning of someone’s name can say a lot about a person. God throughout history has given names to people that have a specific meaning tied to their lives. How about the name Barack Obama? Let us take a look at what may be hiding beneath the surface.
Jesus says in Luke 10:18, “…I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
The Hebrew Strongs word (H1299) for “lightning”: “bârâq” (baw-rawk)
In Isaiah chapter 14, verse 14, we read about Lucifer (Satan) saying in his heart:
“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”
In the verses in Isaiah that refer directly to Lucifer, several times it mentions him falling from the heights or the heavens. The Hebrew word for the heights or heavens used here is Hebrew Strongs 1116: “bamah”–Pronounced (bam-maw’)
In Hebrew, the letter “Waw” or “Vav” is often transliterated as a “U” or “O,” and it is primarily used as a conjunction to join concepts together. So to join in Hebrew poetry the concept of lightning (Baraq) and a high place like heaven or the heights of heaven (Bam-Maw), the letter “U” or “O” would be used. So, Baraq “O” Bam-Maw or Baraq “U” Bam-Maw in Hebrew poetry similar to the style written in Isaiah, would translate literally to “Lightning from the heights.” The word “Satan” in Hebrew is a direct translation, therefore “Satan.”
So when Jesus told His disciples in Luke 10:18 that He beheld Satan fall like lightning from heaven, if this were to be spoken by a Jewish Rabbi today influenced by the poetry in the book of Isaiah, he would say these words in Hebrew–the words of Jesus in Luke 10:18 as, And I saw Satan as Baraq O Bam-Maw.
The names of both of Obama’s daughters are Malia and Natasha. If we were to write those names backward (the devil does things in reverse) we would get “ailam ahsatan”. Now if we remove the letters that spell “Alah” (Allah being the false god of Islam), we get “I am Satan”. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Obama’s campaign logo when he ran in 2008 was a sun over the horizon in the west, with the landscape as the flag of the United States. In Islam, they have their own messiah that they are waiting for called the 12th Imam, or the Mahdi (the Antichrist of the Bible), and one prophecy concerning this man’s appearance is the sun rising in the west.
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.'” (Revelation 14:6-7)
Why have the word’s of Jesus in His Gospel accounts regarding His death, burial, and resurrection, been translated into over 3,000 languages, and nothing comes close? The same God who formed the heavens and earth that draws all people to Him through His creation, likewise has sent His Word to the ends of the earth so that we may come to personally know Him to be saved in spirit and in truth through His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus stands alone among the other religions that say to rightly weigh the scales of good and evil and to make sure you have done more good than bad in this life. Is this how we conduct ourselves justly in a court of law? Bearing the image of God, is this how we project this image into reality?
Our good works cannot save us. If we step before a judge, being guilty of a crime, the judge will not judge us by the good that we have done, but rather by the crimes we have committed. If we as fallen humanity, created in God’s image, pose this type of justice, how much more a perfect, righteous, and Holy God?
God has brought down His moral laws through the 10 commandments given to Moses at Mt. Siani. These laws were not given so we may be justified, but rather that we may see the need for a savior. They are the mirror of God’s character of what He has put in each and every one of us, with our conscious bearing witness that we know that it is wrong to steal, lie, dishonor our parents, murder, and so forth.
We can try and follow the moral laws of the 10 commandments, but we will never catch up to them to be justified before a Holy God. That same word of the law given to Moses became flesh about 2,000 years ago in the body of Jesus Christ. He came to be our justification by fulfilling the law, living a sinless perfect life that only God could fulfill.
The gap between us and the law can never be reconciled by our own merit, but the arm of Jesus is stretched out by the grace and mercy of God. And if we are to grab on, through faith in Him, He will pull us up being the one to justify us. As in the court of law, if someone steps in and pays our fine, even though we are guilty, the judge can do what is legal and just and let us go free. That is what Jesus did almost 2,000 years ago on the cross. It was a legal transaction being fulfilled in the spiritual realm by the shedding of His blood.
For God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23). This is why in Isaiah chapter 53, where it speaks of the coming Messiah and His soul being a sacrifice for our sins, why it says it pleased God to crush His only begotten Son.
This is because the wrath that we deserve was justified by being poured out upon His Son. If that wrath was poured out on us, we would all perish to hell forever. God created a way of escape by pouring it out on His Son whose soul could not be left in Hades but was raised and seated at the right hand of God in power.
So now when we put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14), God no longer sees the person who deserves His wrath, but rather the glorious image of His perfect Son dwelling in us, justifying us as if we received the wrath we deserve, making a way of escape from the curse of death–now being conformed into the image of the heavenly man in a new nature, and no longer in the image of the fallen man Adam.
Now what we must do is repent and put our trust and faith in the savior, confessing and forsaking our sins, and to receive His Holy Spirit that we may be born again (for Jesus says we must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God–John chapter 3). This is not just head knowledge of believing in Jesus, but rather receiving His words, taking them to heart, so that we may truly be transformed into the image of God. Where we no longer live to practice sin, but rather turn from our sins and practice righteousness through faith in Him in obedience to His Word by reading the Bible.
Our works cannot save us, but they can condemn us; it is not that we earn our way into everlasting life, but that we obey our Lord Jesus Christ:
“And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:9)
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’
Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’
And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.'” (Revelation 21:1-8).