United States

Editorial – Tyranny and Tyrants

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When the fathers of the United States signed the Declaration of Independence, they stated that their reason for making this declaration was that “[t]he history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. …” They then listed over thirty complaints among which were, making judges subject to his will alone, creating a police state, depriving citizens of trial by jury and sending armies of mercenaries to support his tyranny. They concluded by saying, “… In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

Notice their repeated charge was that King George was a tyrant, and they had decided to free themselves from his tyranny. All these excesses, and more, could happen again in the United States or in any nation, but what is more important is to know that the devil is the real tyrant. Human beings become tyrants because they are under his control.

“The time of trouble is the crucible that is to bring out Christlike characters. It is designed to lead the people of God to renounce Satan and his temptations. The last conflict will reveal Satan … [as] a cruel tyrant, and it will do for them what nothing else could do, uproot him entirely from their affections. …

“The work of the enemy is not abrupt … it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It commences in small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly … . Our only safety is in searching the Scriptures and in being much on our knees before God, entreating Him to imbue us with His Spirit, that when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall for us lift up a standard against him.” The Review and Herald, August 12, 1884

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11, 12

Editorial – The Mark of the Beast

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According to Revelation 13:1–17, the United States of America is the beast that arises from the earth. We know this because: (1) after the first beast receives a deadly wound in 1798, it becomes a world power (Revelation 13:1–12), (2) it comes up out of the earth, in contrast to other beasts of Daniel and Revelation that come up from the sea (Revelation 17:15), (3) it was “to grow up perfectly like a plant.” As George Townsend said, “like a silent seed we grew into an empire,” (4) it would influence the thinking of the world (Revelation 13:14), and (5) it was to be gentle and innocent in its appearance when it arose (Revelation 13:11).

However, the United States of America ultimately becomes an intolerant, persecuting power forcing all to receive the mark of the papacy (Revelation 13:12 and 15–17). Sunday worship is not commanded anywhere in the Bible, yet it will become the mark of the beast. The papacy has said that Sunday keeping is a mark of their authority: “Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act, and the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious matters. …

 “… Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her – she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.” The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, Third Edition.

The United States, on behalf of the Church of Rome, will force all to receive the mark of the papacy and any refusing to receive the mark will be unable to buy or sell, and then a death decree will be enacted against them.

How will this happen? “Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world and second the testimony of religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation excited against all who refuse to accept their testimony” The Great Controversy, 591.

Notice the sequence of events:

  1. great wickedness will develop in the United States,
  2. this wickedness will be so great that people will long for the violence and lawlessness to end,
  3. supernatural spirits will say with human religious teachers that the degraded moral state is the result of the desecration of Sunday,
  4. a Sunday Law will be passed and the spirits will say the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God, and
  5. their testimony will turn the world against those who keep the law of God.

In the final judgment, every person will be judged over this issue (Revelation 14:9–12; Revelation 22:14, 15; Revelation 19 and 20). Which side will you be on?

Children’s Story – This Moses was Black

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A splash was heard in the ebony waters not twenty yards from the small group huddled together by the river banks. Every soul froze and their panicked screams were blocked by lumps of frozen terror in their throats. In each mind played a full-color, surround-sound scenario of the consequences if they were caught. They had seen it hundreds of times: tied to the whipping block, bare skin blistering under the high-noon sun, starving and dehydrated, the master’s whip, the only variance in the long days of punishment. Luckily for them, their black faces did nothing to reflect the moon which was now and then peering from behind the eerie clouds that moved at an alarming pace across the sky. An irate squirrel chattered his annoyance at his lost nut as if it was the fault of the clandestine visitors gathered below his tree.

“Don’t thtop,” Harriet lisped in a hushed voice. “We have a long wayth to go before the nektht thtation.”

The five escaping slaves let out the breath that had been captive too long. If the moon had been full and bright, you would have seen five black faces turn blue. Though fear had turned their legs to cooked spaghetti, they managed to command their feet to place themselves one in front of the other. The darkness rarely brought relief from the mid-summer heat in those southern states. Although the nearness of water was a blessing, it was also a curse. The mosquitoes did about as good a job at eating away their flesh and blood as would the shrapnel from the overseer’s rifle if they were found. Days and nights of barely more than a corn kernel to nibble on had worn away at the steely muscles built over a lifetime of slavery, and fear gnawed away at sanity.

“I ain’t got no mo’ lef’ Miz Tu’man.” One of her charges faltered a step, and Harriet caught the huge man on her shoulders and half dragged him through the tangled brush and thick, sticky mud on the river bank. “Keep awn keepin’ awn brutha,” she whispered back. Although her own strength was failing her, Harriet was driven by the precious lives placed in her hands. “Go down, Moses,” she sang softly to quiet the thumping hearts of her charges, “Way down to Egyptaland.” Five other voices harmonized in the eerie tune sending a strangely sweet and pathetic cry to heaven. “Tell ol’ Pharaoh, Let my people go.” And they trudged on in search of a hideaway to rest during the light hours. Dawn broke on the flat horizon, turning the sky blood red; as red as the Nile River when Moses touched his staff to it. To the exhausted escapees it spoke of the Lord’s miracles for the freedom of His people; and with this promise in their hearts, they slept.

Slight vibrations in the ground awoke Harriet, who always seemed to sleep with one eye open. She put her ear to the earth to assess the source and the distance. Horses! Perhaps one mile! Fortunately, they did not seem to be moving fast. Without a word she awoke her sleeping charges, trying to appear calm so as not to rile them. It was still daylight, and the horses were getting closer to their hiding place; not knowing how close they would come.

“Tis sumthin’ da matta’ Miz Tu’man?” came the sleepy-eyed questions.

Ho’ses. Many. Don’t know where they’s aheaded and we ain’t gonna stay t’ find out neitha,” Harriet answered forcefully. Though they had crossed into a free state the previous night, the passing of the Fugitive Slave Law demanded the return of human property to the owner, which meant that they would not be safe so close to the border dividing the free states and the slave states.

“Why, dey might’nt come here! We’s safe hidin’ here.”

“No, they’s gunna look wherever’s a good hidin’ spot. Move out!”

“No! We’s safe not ta move!”

At this Harriet pulled the pistol from her ankle holster and aimed it at the defiant slave. What did he know of the tactics of the slave hunters? She had helped over 300 slaves to escape safely so far, and a single defiant slave would not jeopardize the rest if she could help it.

“You trust Ms. Tu’man now! I ain’t let one slave get caught, not now, not neva eitha!” Whether shocked or frightened into submission, the persuasion worked and they headed out to the station which was now just a few miles away, and not another word was spoken. Though the tactic was unpleasant and rather unconventional, it was one that had served to press on slaves beaten by fatigue, hunger, fear, and despair, and never once had Harriet lost one of her charges.

“Praise be!” went a jubilant cry. Into the deepest recesses of memory went the horror of their journey as the large estate of their white redeemers came into sight. A green flag was hanging from the gate, signaling that all was well for them to enter.

Entering into the parlor of the huge mansion, each slave, safely freed, bent to kiss the aged face of their tough savior, and gave thanks to God.

“Miz Moses, thank ya kindly.”

Harriet Tubman helped over 300 slaves escape from slavery before the Civil War. Her service to her fellow slaves earned her the nickname, Moses of her People. On her death bed she was able to boast, “I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” And indeed not one slave Harriet Tubman guided toward freedom was ever captured.

Alicia Freedman works at Steps to Life as a part of the LandMarks team. She can be reached by e-mail at: aliciafreedman@stepstolife.org

Removing the Protection from Jerusalem

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In ancient times people mostly lived off the land. The people of God lived in the valleys where their cows grazed and they worshipped in the mountains. The heathen also had their places of worship in the hills. Isaiah 65:7 says, “Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.”

The Lord was also worshipped on the mountains. Abraham was directed to the mountain to make sacrifices. Mt. Sinai, where God met and talked with His children, was above the plain where the children of Israel were encamped after coming out of Egypt. Later, God had His temple built on Mt. Moriah, outside of Jerusalem. God was also worshipped on the mountain which was called the mountain of God.

In the last days we are told that the mountain of God would be higher than all the other mountains. Isaiah 2:2, 3 says, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.” This passage of Scripture refers to the time when the Holy Spirit is poured out on the church and many people from all walks of life and from all nationalities come into the church.

In the last days the people of the earth are likened to a people living in a valley. Looking forward to Jesus’ second coming, Joel 3:13–17 says, “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.”

We find the same expression used in Revelation 14:15, “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.” Joel 3:13, 14: “Come, go down for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.” God is in the mountain while the people are in the valleys. Some versions say the valley of judgment. It continues, “For the Day of the Lord is come in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake: but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.” Joel 3:14–17.

The real meaning of this verse in context is that God, who dwells on high, is judging these people in the valley. They are being judged and are receiving the decision for eternal life or eternal damnation.

In Hebrew there are two words for valley. The first is ameq, which means a great large valley, big valley, wide valley. That is used here because it is a valley that houses all the people of the world; it is a big valley.

The second word is gaya which means a smaller valley, a narrower valley with high sides, but more narrow than ameq. That is used to depict God’s people, those on the narrow way. Here in Isaiah 22:1 we find another valley. It says, “The burden against the valley of vision.” Isaiah in the last few chapters has been talking about several valleys and several nations. There is a whole chapter on Moab and a chapter on Damascus. He talks about Samaria, Ethiopia, Egypt, and then in chapter 21, finally Babylon.

In the Bible, Babylon, denoting the world, and Jerusalem, God’s people, are always pitted against each other. In Chapter 21 it begins with the burden of the wilderness of the sea, a dry and desolate valley. A valley of the sea is very interesting because a sea in prophecy, according to Revelation 17:15, represents multitudes and peoples. Babylon is a great vast dry desolate valley of many peoples, nations, multitudes and languages. The merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.

In Isaiah 21:9 it says, “I looked and look, here comes a chariot of men and with a pair of horses. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” Literal Babylon fell at one time. This is referring to the same Babylon we find in Revelation: Babylon is fallen, is fallen.

In chapter 22, we find a narrow valley, a smaller valley and this is the valley of vision. The people of God were called, led, guided and directed by vision. God refers to them as a people of vision, a valley of vision. Metaphorically they are living in a land of vision. In Hosea 12:13 it says, “By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved.” God’s people were established, preserved and directed by a prophet. II Chronicles 20:20 says, “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.”

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This prophecy is written to the land of vision. When people listen to vision, they become established. When they disregard vision, they become destroyed.

What does Isaiah 22:8–10 say about the people in the land of vision who do not listen to visions? It says, “He removed the protection of Judah.” He removed the protection of Judah. “You looked in that day to the armour of the house of forest. You also saw the damage to the city of David. It was great: you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses you broke down to fortify the walls.” What didn’t they do? “You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool, but you did not look to its maker, nor did you have respect to Him who fashioned it long ago.” Verse 11. It says you’ve got a lot of human plans, wisdom, councils, and meetings, but you did not look to the counsel of God and so He removed the protection of Judah.

When God’s protection is gone, things deteriorate very quickly. Where there is no vision, the people perish. It doesn’t matter how many provisions you may have had for the future. You soon perish, and the provisions also perish.

When God’s protection is removed, the strongest fortifications become like paper maché. The greatest, most skillfully laid plans become like kindergarten strategy. The greatest security and the greatest secure institutions become like the Titanic on its maiden voyage. The most secure political alliances become like the alliance between Brutus and Caesar. Ruin follows. Where there is no vision, the people perish.

Could this be true of the United States of America? Are we great because of natural resources, education or because of some super intelligence that God has given to us? Is that what made America great today?

“Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity.” The Great Controversy, 441.

Is America always going to remain with the Protestant ethics of liberty of conscience and belief in the Bible and God, with the idea of Republicanism? Republicanism is a little different than democracy. Republicanism believes in protecting the rights of the minority, not just the majority. Pure democracy means that you protect the rights of the majority.

“The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” Ibid., 588.

What happens when God withdraws His protection from America?

“Satan delights in war, for it excites the worst passions of the soul and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his object to incite the nations to war against one another, for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God.” Ibid., 589.

Satan delights in war. When God’s protection is not over us, Satan can bring us into confusion and war. But he does not stop there. “Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows.” Ibid., 589.

Aren’t you thankful that God only allows Satan to go so far and that God protects as much as we allow Him to protect? “It is God that shields His creatures and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. But the Christian world has shown contempt for the law of Jehovah; and the Lord will do just what He has declared that He would—He will withdraw His blessings from the earth and remove His protecting care from those who are rebelling against His law and teaching and forcing others to do the same.” Ibid., 589.

God’s protection will be removed. In Isaiah 22 it says He will remove His protection from Jerusalem. Satan will bring disaster upon disaster until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation.

“In accidents and calamites by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. … These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon both man and beast.” The Great Controversy, 589, 590.

God has signally blessed this country because it has been established on the principles of the Bible, upon principles of religious freedom, upon principles of belief in God and in His word. “Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.” Ibid., 614. I want to be under the banner of God; how about you?

It is a pretty terrible thing when God withdraws His protection. When He removed the protection from Israel of old, Israel was destroyed. When He removed it from Jerusalem, Jerusalem was destroyed. When He removes it from America, national apostasy will be followed by national ruin, and America will be destroyed.

Could God’s blessing be removed from the church as well? Remember, Isaiah is especially written for the last days. Isaiah 22:22 says, “The key of the house of David I will lay on His shoulder; so He shall open, and no one shall shut; He shall shut, and no one shall open.”

There are three special times when God opened a door that no one could shut and closed the door that no one could open. It happened the first time when the temple in heaven was opened when Jesus ascended to heaven and the temple on earth was closed. The temple in heaven was opened and could not be closed. It happened the second time in 1844 when God opened the door to the Most Holy Place and closed the door to the Holy Place.

The Holy Place door was closed forever. No one can open it. The door into the Most Holy Place is open and no one can close it. It will happen the third time when God leaves the Most Holy Place and closes that door and no one can open it.

What counsel does God have for us in Isaiah 22:1, 2? “The burden against the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you are gone up to the housetops? You who are full of noise, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: your slain men are not slain with a sword, nor dead in battle.”

Here we see God’s people in great apostasy. The men are gone, but they are not slain in battle. It is not through battle with the enemies that they are slain, but they are apostatizing. Somehow the ranks are narrowing and thinning, not through conflict with the world, but through some inner apostasy.

It continues, “All your rulers have fled together, they are captured by the archers: all who are found in you are bound together (Verse 3).” Here we find political alliances.

Isaiah 22:4: “Therefore I said, Look away from Me; I will weep bitterly, do not labor to comfort Me, because of the plundering of the daughter of My people.” God says, this is a time to weep. Verse 5: “For it is a day of trouble, and treading down, and perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.” Could there come a time in this church when God withdraws His protection? Look at what happened in Battle Creek, at the very headquarters of this church. We are told that was just the beginning. When apostasy takes hold of this church, God’s blessings will be withdrawn.

“Unless the church, which is now being leavened with her own backsliding, shall repent and be converted, she will eat of the fruit of her own doing, until she shall abhor herself.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 250.

Battle Creek was only a beginning. God will not be trifled with.

There will come a time when His hand will be removed, and we see one disaster after another. Isaiah 22:7 says, “It shall come to pass, that your choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.” There will come a time when our choicest institutions will be filled with non-Adventists and when they will eventually be taken over.

Isaiah 22:8, 9: “He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in the day to the forest of the house of forests. You also saw the damage to the city of David, and it was great.” But what did you do when you saw that the damage was great? Verses 10, 11: “You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses you broke down to fortify the walls. You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool.” Just consolidate, bring them together. When two are going bad, bring them together; make one strong conference out of two. “But, you did not look to its maker, nor did you have respect to Him who fashioned it long ago.”

We can institute all the studies we want, but dear friend, where is the prayer and repenting? Where is the weeping between the porch and the altar? Where is the belief in the visions? Where is simple obedience to what God has told us?

We are told the last great deception will be as follows. Satan is constantly pressing in the spurious to lead away from the truth. “The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 48. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18. Ellen White is referring that to our church. “Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony.” Ibid. They consolidated. They carried out studies, they carried out all kinds of things, but they did not look to their Maker and the protection was removed.

What next? Look at Isaiah 22:12–14: “And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness, and girding with sackcloth: But instead joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating meat, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, Surely for this there shall be no atonement for you, even to your death, says the Lord God of hosts.”

God says that He called for weeping and for mourning, but you went on, rejoicing and saying all is well. You went on with your religious ceremonies of killing the sheep and went on with your eating of meat and drinking and partying and saying all is well, happy and joyous, when I (the Lord God) called for weeping and mourning.

It is very interesting to look at Ezekiel 9:4. There can be no doubt that this verse refers specifically to God’s last church because it describes the time God’s Spirit left between the cherubim which is in the Most Holy Place. This is just before His Spirit leaves, just before the close of probation. But before He leaves, “The Lord said to Him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men” who do what? “Who sigh and cry for all the abominations done in Israel.” Those who did what the Lord called them to do in Isaiah 22, who went out and sighed and cried.

Today, we are living in the midst of apostasy in the United States of America. Someday God’s protection will be removed. It won’t come in one day; it is even happening today. We are living in the midst of apostasy within the church and God calls for repentance. The Bible says that those who are repentant and those who are concerned, He’s going to seal and carry through. But those who go on uncaring, and instead of weeping and mourning as it says in Isaiah 23:13, they have joy and gladness, continual religious ceremonies, of the slaying of ox and killing of sheep, of eating meat, or the Old King James says, “eating flesh, and drinking wine” Isaiah 22:13; and “let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” I Corinthians 15:32. People who are planning to live their whole life in this earth.

I heard a sermon from a union president who was saying, “Today we are planning now for the 21st century.” “We are not planning on God coming before then.” “Let us go on with our business, for we’re going to die here in this land.”

It says in Isaiah 22:14, “It was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, Surely for this iniquity there’ll be no atonement.” Because you were joyous when God said to mourn; you went on saying everything was good when God said, ”Cry aloud and spare not and tell the house of Jacob their sins and the people of Israel their transgressions.” Isaiah 58:1.

Today God is calling for prayer, repentance, weeping and tears. The question today is, Will we join the apostasy or will we repent? Will we cry aloud and spare not? Will there be anybody who stands in the breach as the Bible says? Very soon we are going to see the very close of earth’s history; in fact, it’s happening today. We see Isaiah 22 being fulfilled. Very soon we are going to see plagues. We are going to see greater and greater apostasy, both within America and within God’s church. We are going to find most Adventists are going to be lost. We are going to see more and more of human plans and human devising.

Today it is time to look away from man’s devising and to look at the Maker. It’s time to look at the visions. It’s time to say, “Lord, our best plans are nothing without You. It’s time for You to come in and pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us. We can’t win any souls with our plans, methods and devising. We need You, and we need Your power.”

It’s time for us to get down on our knees and pray and plead for God’s power. The best human skills are not going to convert one of our children. We need to pray for God’s power to be poured out on our television program. I am so impressed that we need God’s power pleading with the people as they are watching. Nothing we can say is going to change a human heart unless the Holy Spirit is working on that heart.

We need God’s power today. We need to look away from consolation. Look away from manipulation. Look away from human plans. We need to look at the Maker. It is time to pray that God pours out His Spirit on this church. It is time for us to look to the Maker.

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington State, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

Current Events – Worship in Public Venues

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Amendment I to the Constitution of the United States of America:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

“When the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church—then will Protestant America have formed an image to the papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin.” Last Day Events, 134.

Sovereign Grace City Church in Brooklyn, New York, used to meet for worship every Sunday at P.S. 282, a public school that charged an affordable rent of $1,084 per month for Sunday morning access. But lately Sovereign Grace has changed worship locations nearly every week. The moves were not random: They were a result of a decision by the city to ban religious organizations from renting public school buildings for worship services. www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06.

Despite some legal setbacks, pastors and church supporters in New York City aren’t giving up the fight on what they say is their right to hold worship services in public schools on weekends, even if that means getting arrested.

On Thursday [January 12, 2012], approximately 200 people gathered in the Bronx to hold a prayer rally and protest against the city’s decision to ban religious services from taking place in its public schools on weekends. www.christianpost.com, May 31, 2012.

The United States Supreme Court recently sided with New York City officials who say letting churches worship in school buildings violates the separation of church and state. But Charlotte-Mecklenburg [South Carolina] Schools [CMS] doesn’t plan to change its practice of letting churches rent space after hours. …

CMS leaders acknowledged the ruling, but said they don’t believe it precludes CMS from continuing to count houses of worship among the “educational, recreational, civic and cultural activities” considered acceptable.

http://obsyourschools.blogspot.com/2012/01, May 31, 2012.

Two decisions by the United States Supreme Court provide for the use of public school buildings by churches, religious and political groups on a viewpoint-neutral basis, if the public school districts are already renting their facilities after hours to other community groups. The subsidy involved in use of public schools by religious organizations, however, continues to create concern, confusion, and litigation. The law on the limits of church use is not completely settled. While schools are not permitted to discriminate against religious groups because they are religious, schools can create regulations that impact church use of school buildings. One appellate court, the 2nd Circuit, ruled in 2011 that a school board’s prohibition of hosting a particular type of activity, religious worship services, was constitutional.

Since public school districts often have the least expensive rental rates available in a community, rental to churches often involves what many of us consider taxpayer subsidy of congregations. Start-up churches often take advantage of low school rental to establish themselves. They obtain a prominent site for a new church, collect church donations on public property, and use their savings to eventually buy their own tax-free buildings. No wonder many taxpayers are concerned! ffrf.org/faq/state-church/churches-meeting-at-public-schools/ May 31, 2012.

Current Events – Religious Freedom Challenged

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“One woman sits at the center of the developing—and utterly confusing—Internal Revenue Service scandal. It was Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations Division, who let slip at an American Bar Association meeting on Friday that, between 2010 and 2012, conservative nonprofit groups were improperly scrutinized by the IRS. And it is Lerner who has since become the target of a number of accusations and conspiracy theories, lobbed from both ends of the political spectrum. As the media waits impatiently for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to release an investigative report detailing who knew about the IRS’s inappropriate practices and when, it seems crucial to get to know the main character in this unfolding drama and the core issues swirling around her.” www.thedailybeast.com, May 14, 2013.

“The IRS has admitted to unfairly targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.” http://hotair.com, May 29, 2013.

“The framework for 501(c) organizations —what we commonly call nonprofits—was established over 75 years ago, when the federal tax laws were first codified. Because these are tax designations, any and all 501(c) organizations—regardless of function—are approved by, and primarily regulated by, the IRS. At present, there are over 29 different sub classifications for the 501(c) designation. But, for the case in question, there are only two that really matter:

  • 501(c)(3) — Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals Organizations
  • 501(c)(4) — Civic Leagues, Social Welfare Organizations, and Local Associations of Employees”

www.outsidethebeltway.com, May 29, 2013.

“Let not one who believes the truth, be silent now. None should be careless now; let all urge their petitions at the throne of grace, pleading the promise, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do.” It is a perilous time now. If this land of boasted liberty is preparing to sacrifice every principle which enters into her constitution, making decrees to suppress religious freedom, and for the enforcing of papal falsehood and delusion, then the people of God need to present their petitions in faith to the Most High. There is every encouragement, in the promises of God, for those who put their trust in him. The prospect of being brought into personal danger and distress, need not cause despondency, but should quicken the vigor and hopes of God’s people; for the time of their peril is the season for God to grant them clearer manifestations of his power. We are not to sit in calm expectancy of oppression and tribulation, and fold our hands, doing nothing to avert the evil. Let our united cries be sent up to heaven. Pray and work, and work and pray. But let none act rashly. Learn as never before that you must be meek and lowly in heart. You must not bring a railing accusation against any, whether individuals or churches. Learn to deal with minds as Christ did. Sharp things must sometimes be spoken; but be sure that the Holy Spirit of God is abiding in your heart before you speak the clear-cut truth; then let it cut its way. You are not to do the cutting.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 902.

Current Events – A New Constitution

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“A striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation … is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities. By such action it will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. …

“Such action would be directly contrary to the principles of this government, to the genius of its free institutions, to the direct and solemn avowals of the Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution.” The Great Controversy, 442.

The United States Constitution is unusually difficult to amend. As spelled out in Article V, the Constitution can be amended in one of two ways. First, amendment can take place by a vote of two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate followed by a ratification of three-fourths of the various state legislatures (ratification by thirty-eight states would be required to ratify an amendment today). This first method of amendment is the only one used to date. Second, the Constitution might be amended by a Convention called for this purpose by two-thirds of the state legislatures, if the Convention’s proposed amendments are later ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. http://law2.umkc.edu

On November 12, 2012, Frank Lake, reporter for Weekly World News, New York, wrote that the President of the United States reportedly said the United States Constitution is out-of-date, so he is ripping it up and writing a new one. President Barack Obama reportedly told reporters last night [November 11, 2012] that the U.S. Constitution has become a hindrance to progress in America. “The document is so out-dated, that it is now becoming a hindrance to governing the country.” Obama has signed an Executive Order voiding the U. S. Constitution. “We need to move forward. We need change.” Obama reportedly said he has already drafted a new constitution and that Americans “will love what I came up with.” Insiders say Obama is keeping a lot of old elements from the original constitution “he’s just making it better, bringing it into the 21st century,” said White House Spokesman, Jay Carney. http://weeklyworldnews.com

This is in regards to Senate Bill 139 of the 113th Congress, which was presented to prevent the Second Amendment rights of the United States from being given to the United Nations. Data shows that 99 Senators voted, with 46 of them voting “Nay” (which means they were willing to give our rights per our Constitution in regard to the Second Amendment to the United Nations). This vote was recorded on March 23, 2013, which was just a few months after the Election in November 2012. http://www.westernjournalism.com

Republicans are warning that Democrats will regret their November 21, 2013, party-line vote to change rules of the United States Senate to permit confirmation of presidential appointees (except Supreme Court justices) by a simple majority instead of the 60 percent supermajority which had been required. The U.S. Constitution does require a supermajority in the U.S. Senate for specific reasons like the ratification of treaties and amendments to the Constitution itself. But in all other cases including legislation and confirming presidential appointments, Article I provides that in the event of a tie vote in the U.S. Senate, the vice president of the United States should cast the deciding vote.

Allowing the U.S. Senate to act by simple majority, except as otherwise specified in the Constitution, seems like the essence of constitutional democracy. The practice of simple majority rule in the U.S. Senate should be expanded to include enactment of legislation and the confirmation of Supreme Court justices. http://www.newsworks.org

Bible Study Guides – The United States in Bible Prophecy

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April 20, 2014 – April 26, 2014

Key Text

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Revelation 13:11.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 440–450, 606, 607.

Introduction

“The lamblike horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented [in Revelation 13:11]. The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities.” The Great Controversy, 442.

1 “COMING UP OUT OF THE EARTH”

  • As the leopardlike beast received a deadly wound in 1798, what arose around that time, and how do we know it is a nation? Revelation 13:11, first part.

Note: “The beast with lamblike horns was seen ‘coming up out of the earth’ (Revelation 13:11). Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied and grow up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and struggling nationalities of the Old World—that turbulent sea of ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues’ (Revelation 17:15). It must be sought in the Western Continent.” The Great Controversy, 440.

  • What does “coming up out of the earth” signify? Compare Revelation 13:1 with 13:11.

Note: “What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America.” The Great Controversy, 440.

2 CHARACTERISTICS OF A LAMB

  • What characteristics of a lamblike nation are found in the early history of the United States? How do the founding principles of this nation embody these traits? Isaiah 53:7; Jeremiah 11:19; Acts 8:32.

Note: “The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophet as ‘coming up’ in 1798. Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that ‘all men are created equal’ and endowed with the inalienable right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope.” The Great Controversy, 441.

“The founders of the nation wisely sought to guard against the employment of secular power on the part of the church, with its inevitable result—intolerance and persecution. The Constitution provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ and that ‘no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.’ ” Ibid., 442.

  • Even before the end of religious persecution under state churches, how was the United States already helping the persecuted Christians? Matthew 24:21, 22; Revelation 12:14–16.

Note: “As the tidings spread through the countries of Europe, of a land where every man might enjoy the fruit of his own labor and obey the convictions of his own conscience, thousands flocked to the shores of the New World. …

“The Bible was held as the foundation of faith, the source of wisdom, and the charter of liberty.” The Great Controversy, 296.

3 SPEAKS LIKE A DRAGON

  • What change takes place in the prophetic lamblike beast? Revelation 13:11, last part.

Note: “[The lamblike nation] will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. The prediction that it will speak ‘as a dragon’ and exercise ‘all the power of the first beast’ plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the leopardlike beast. And the statement that the beast with two horns ‘causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast’ (Revelation 13:12) indicates that the authority of this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an act of homage to the papacy.

“Such action would be directly contrary to the principles of this government, to the genius of its free institutions, to the direct and solemn avowals of the Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution. … Only in flagrant violation of these safeguards to the nation’s liberty, can any religious observance be enforced by civil authority. But the inconsistency of such action is no greater than is represented in the symbol. It is the beast with lamblike horns—in profession pure, gentle, and harmless—that speaks as a dragon.

“ ‘Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast’ (Revelation 13:14). Here is clearly presented a form of government in which the legislative power rests with the people, a most striking evidence that the United States is the nation denoted in the prophecy.” [Emphasis author’s] The Great Controversy, 442, 443.

  • In what sense would the lamblike beast (United States) finally speak as a dragon, forming an image (following the example) of the leopard-like beast (Rome)?

Note: “To learn what the image is like and how it is to be formed we must study the characteristics of the beast itself—the papacy.

“When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the state and employed it to further her own ends” The Great Controversy, 443.

4 ACTS LIKE A DRAGON

  • If the lamblike beast speaks like the dragon, what actions must be expected? Revelation 13:12.

Note: “A refusal to obey the commandments of God, and a determination to cherish hatred against those who proclaim these commandments, leads to the most determined war on the part of the dragon, whose whole energies are brought to bear against the commandment-keeping people of God.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 117.

“Courts of justice are corrupt. Rulers are actuated by desire for gain and love of sensual pleasure. Intemperance has beclouded the faculties of many so that Satan has almost complete control of them. Jurists are perverted, bribed, deluded. Drunkenness and revelry, passion, envy, dishonesty of every sort, are represented among those who administer the laws. ‘Justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter’ (Isaiah 59:14).” The Great Controversy, 586.

  • Under whose influence will the civil government of the United States form an image (imitation) of Rome? Revelation 13:15–17.

Note: “In order for the United States to form an image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority of the state will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends.

“Whenever the church has obtained secular power, she has employed it to punish dissent from her doctrines. Protestant churches that have followed in the steps of Rome by forming alliance with worldly powers have manifested a similar desire to restrict liberty of conscience. An example of this is given in the long-continued persecution of dissenters by the Church of England. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, thousands of nonconformist ministers were forced to flee from their churches, and many, both of pastors and people, were subjected to fine, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom.” The Great Controversy, 443.

“The ‘image to the beast’ (Revelation 13:14) represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.” Ibid., 445.

5 CAUSING PEOPLE TO WORSHIP THE PAPACY

  • In what sense, and against whom, will the lamblike beast use force? Revelation 13:12, last part.

Note: “The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: ‘Show us from the word of God our error’—the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances.” The Great Controversy, 607.

  • How can a government make freedom-loving people accept a loss of its freedoms? II Thessalonians 2:9–12.

Note: “The Sunday movement is now making its way in darkness. The leaders are concealing the true issue, and many who unite in the movement do not themselves see whither the undercurrent is tending. Its professions are mild and apparently Christian, but when it shall speak it will reveal the spirit of the dragon. … We should endeavor to disarm prejudice by placing ourselves in a proper light before the people.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 452.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 Around what year did the lamblike beast appear?

2 How did the United States, historically, help those Christians suffering under religious persecution in Europe?

3 What drastic change is to be seen in this peace-loving nation?

4 In what specific ways will the lamblike beast (United States) imitate the leopardlike beast (Rome)?

5 How will this freedom-loving nation give up her constitutional liberties and follow the example of Rome by establishing a form of inquisition?

© 2010 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Current Events – Affordable Care Act

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Christian organizations make a stand against the Federal Government on the moral issues hidden in the Affordable Care Act

“The banner of truth and religious liberty held aloft by the founders of the gospel church and by God’s witnesses during the centuries that have passed since then, has, in this last conflict, been committed to our hands. The responsibility for this great gift rests with those whom God has blessed with a knowledge of His word. We are to receive this word as supreme authority. We are to recognize human government as an ordinance of divine appointment, and teach obedience to it as a sacred duty, within its legitimate sphere. But when its claims conflict with the claims of God, we must obey God rather than men. God’s word must be recognized as above all human legislation.” The Acts of the Apostles, 68.

Four Most Important Questions

The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in the Hobby Lobby contraception case. But which arguments will have the most influence on the justices? Which four arguments are most likely to be important?

Cutting through the politicized hype about the Hobby Lobby, the Justices during oral argument focused on four serious legal questions, which deserve a serious answer:

  1. Could Hobby Lobby avoid a substantial burden on its religious exercise by dropping health insurance and paying fines of $2,000 per employee?
  2. Does the government have a compelling interest in protecting the statutory rights of Hobby Lobby’s employees?
  3. Would a ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby give rise to a slippery slope of exemptions from vaccines, minimum wage laws, anti-discrimination laws, and the like?
  4. Has the government satisfied the least restrictive means test?

The answer to all four questions is “no.” http://blog.acton.org/March 24

Supreme Court seeks compromise in contraception case

March 25, 2014

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration struggled Tuesday to defend the so-called contraception mandate in its fledgling health care law before a Supreme Court clearly sympathetic to religious objections raised by employers.

While the justices were predictably divided along ideological lines, it appeared that a majority of them did not want to force for-profit corporations to offer health plans that include birth control methods they claim cause abortions.

The decision could have a psychological impact, however, on a law that has suffered more than its share of website glitches and administrative delays. And it could have a political impact for the White House. www.usatoday.com

Hobby Lobby case goes before Supreme Court

Mar. 26, 2014 – 2:55 – The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty’s Lori Windham on the Hobby Lobby’s case on employer’s religious rights when it comes to health insurance being heard by the Supreme Court. http://foxbusiness.com

Current Events – Climate Change

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A new alarming report on climate change is expected to be released this week by the Federal government, the latest in a series of influential studies on the topic. A draft of the report includes a sobering forecast about how climate and weather conditions may change in the United States of America.

A recent street collapse after a heavy downpour in Baltimore is one example of extreme weather events that may be more common in the future according to a draft of the National Climate Assessment. The report says the warming is primarily driven by human activity and predicts temperatures in the United States could soar by as much as 10 degrees by the year 2100.

Snow and rain in the northeast could increase by nearly a third. Hurricanes in the southeast could be stronger with some areas called highly vulnerable to sea level rise. Wildfires in the southwest could increase with more intense drought conditions creating drier vegetation. The report also outlines the risk to our food supply. Activists who say that climate change threatens to completely alter the way that we live, the way we produce our food to where and how we live, have anticipated the findings of the draft report. The elderly, the sick, and the poor are the most vulnerable to the health impact according to the report and the future for our children is very unpredictable.

While policy makers debate climate change, the vast majority of climate scientists say it has already begun and is time for the country to prepare. NBC News, New York May 4, 2014.

Four years after the B.P. oil spill, the disaster is still causing death on the Mississippi delta. Twenty miles into the marsh the black tar has choked the life out of what was once a baby pelican nursery. As recently as a year ago there were pelicans seen but now there are just dead sticks. The tar is not the problem but the oily sheen that nobody has ever cleaned up. Tiny bacteria have absorbed the sheen and now wildlife officials worry it could be working its way into dolphins and other large predators. Increased numbers of dead dolphins are being seen coming ashore. It is true that there could be a number of things killing the dolphins along the Gulf coast. Scientists and lawyers are still trying to work out the oil’s exact environmental impact. B.P. has already spent more than $14 billion in cleanup efforts. Since the spill, many animal habitats have simply eroded away. Land bridges and islands that were once prevalent are now non-existent. But just one mile north there is some good news: the state bird of Louisiana is thriving. There are brown pelican eggs ready to hatch despite losing their old home to the oil slick. NBC News, Mississippi, May 4, 2014.

As I [Ellen White] hear of the terrible calamities that from week to week are taking place, I ask myself: What do these things mean? The most awful disasters are following one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of seemingly disorganized, unregulated forces, but in them God’s purpose may be read. They are the means by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.” Counsels for the Church, 355, 356.