Catching Up

A little….

I have been bogged down for several months with many issues outside of writing for the blog; as you can tell, the pace of posts has slowed quite a bit.  This will likely remain the case for a time still.

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The Uvalde school shooting.  Truly a tragedy, made worse by the apparently less-than-enthusiastic response of the police on the scene.  But I also think about this: the number of children killed at the school on that day equals the number of children killed in America via abortion in approximately every 15 minutes…twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

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There was a US Men’s National Team soccer match held in Cincinnati on June 1:

Christian Pulisic was critical of the number of United States men's national soccer team supporters at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium during a 3-0 victory over Morocco on Wednesday night in the first of four World Cup warm-up matches in June.

According to U.S. Soccer, 19,512 supporters attended the match at a ground which has a capacity of 26,000 for soccer matches.

No reason was given as to why the crowd was so small.  But then there was this:

Wearing rainbow numbers on white jerseys for LGBTQ Pride Month…

Probably just coincidence.

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I don't understand any of this, I only know it's ugly.  You're all ugly and he was beautiful, he tried to put something fine into your ugly world and you killed him for it.

So said Josephine in Tombstone, to those who shot her co-actor, Romulus Fabian.  This was certainly true for Jesus.  It pretty much describes our entire society today.

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On the one hand it seems clear to me that elections for president haven’t mattered since November 1963.  Then I think…if that’s true, why go through so much trouble in 2020 to rig an election?

Not that I have any explanation for Trump.  Was he truly an outsider, or was he purposely out in place to play a part in the breakdown of America?

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Atlas is shrugging, of this there is no doubt.  High inflation, shortages of goods, logistics breakdowns, blackouts, fires and destruction at multiple factories, especially those that process various food items.  Society and the economy aren’t functioning very well, and it is only getting worse.

However, we know that the cause isn’t because a hero in human form, John Galt, has decided to put a stop to the motor of the world.  Most of the businessmen today are on the side of the breakdown.

No, the cause is driven by something else – call it a spirit, the spirit of the free market.  It is fighting back, having been violated and abused for so long via taxes, regulation, and, most significantly, funny money.

Who, or what, governs this world?  It isn’t people, specific individuals.  Principalities and powers – some for good (like a free market), some for evil (for example, the beast-like political and business leaders of today).

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Revelation 17: 1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 

Which principality is seated on many waters today?  With which principality have many rulers of the world gotten drunk?

3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

This is the Whore of Babylon.  In my view, we have lived through many such whores.  Read the description: it is one of a universalizing earthly authority, usurping the authority of God.  It is a principality by and through and with whom many have become wealthy.

Isaiah saw the destruction of the Babylon of his day, as seen in chapter 47:

10 You felt secure in your wickedness;

you said, “No one sees me”;

your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,

and you said in your heart,

“I am, and there is no one besides me.”

11 But evil shall come upon you,

which you will not know how to charm away;

disaster shall fall upon you,

for which you will not be able to atone;

and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,

of which you know nothing.

There have been many other such whores, stretching from Rome to Soviet Moscow.  But none of these had the ability to so totalize their reach and authority of today’s Whore – seated on many waters, with whom many have committed sexual immorality, through whom many have increased their gold and jewels and pearls.  And for whom almost limitless technological means of control are available.

Returning to Revelation 17.  What happens to this Whore?

16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

It will be devoured by the beast, such that the words of God are fulfilled.  It has happened to every Whore thus far; it will happen to this one.  The story is told in great detail in chapter 18; I will only offer a small portion here:

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become a dwelling place for demons,

a haunt for every unclean spirit,

a haunt for every unclean bird,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

3 For all nations have drunk

the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,

and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,

and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

God’s people are called to come out of her.  But, today, where do we go?  This really isn’t possible physically; at least not completely (perhaps start by homeschooling your children).

It is possible mentally and emotionally.  Let’s start by not worshipping the beast; let’s start by recognizing the nature of this battle.

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What is that nature?

Ephesians 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I have probably cited this verse a couple-dozen times in the last couple of years, perhaps beginning with this post early in the plague that wasn’t a plague.  I am finding this verse (or at least the concept of principalities and powers) cited more and more, by Christians and non-Christians (but, perhaps, Christian-friendly) alike; most recently here, in a very good write-up by Paul Kingsnorth.

We are in a battle, but not the one envisioned by many.  This battle is one between the rulers of darkness and his followers against the Ruler of Light and His followers.  Many of the followers of the rulers of darkness understand the nature of this battle.  It would be great if more of the followers of the Ruler of Light did as well. 

We are faced with evil, in the persons of those who wish to control and consume us.  Chanting “NAP…NAP…NAP” is not going to exorcise these demons.  The battle is spiritual; more specifically it is Christ against the demon, Satan.

It is unfortunate that many who claim to desire liberty and who value the non-aggression principle do not understand this.  Even worse, as opposed to being neutral in this, the true battle, they side with liberty’s enemy.