The Reality Of Things.

Here is something that not many of us think about. In wars and conflicts, who is it that stands to gain the most from them? It is those at the top, the ones who are in power, those who give the commands. Today, it is also the many companies who build all that is used in wars who stand to gain much wealth. Who is it that does the dirty work; the fighting, the killing, and the dying? They are the ones at the bottom. It has always been this way. We fight each other to keep ourselves in bondage and those at the top powerful and wealthy.

Long ago, the nations had their slaves. Slaves had many tasks and when nations warred with each other, they would always send in slaves first. The slaves would do some damage fighting, using the meager weapons they were given. When the slaves were used up then the better fighters were sent in. Unless things go very bad for a nation, you will rarely see someone at the top help fight against the opposite side.

You can look at any war. Take our American Civil war. This war was over the right to own slaves, essentially. Those who owned many slaves did not fight in that war. It was those who owned no slaves at all or maybe just owned one or two who fought and died. What was strange to me was that those who did fight on the South for the right to own slaves became so caught up in it and angry over not having the right to own slaves, yet they would probably never be in a position to own any.

My wife and I went to see the movie "The Free State of Jones" a while back. This movie is based on the history of Jones County, Mississippi during the Civil War. In the movie, there were a number of black slaves who had run away and found themselves a secret hiding place deep in the swamps. At first, only black slaves knew about it with the help of an abolitionist, Aunt Sally . As more and more whites fighting in the Confederate army understood what was really going on and how their own families were being treated at home while they were away, they deserted. One by one a number of them ended up with the black slaves in this secret hiding place. The food that came into the camp was not much. At first, only a couple of the Whites were willing to share that food with the Blacks even though it was through the work of black slaves that food came in at all. As more Whites showed up, tensions rose. You could see the hatred from the Whites against the Blacks start to come out and how the Whites felt they were better than the black slaves. It was great however to see that hatred and the feeling of superiority fade away. They finally understood that they needed each other and that in reality, they were both slaves.

Last night, we watched the movie “Jimmy's Hall” (IMDB: Jimmy's Hall) (Wikipedia: Jimmy's Hall). This movie is based on real life events of Jimmy Gralton, an Irishman born in Effernagh, Ireland on April 17, 1886 to a poor farmer. (Irish Post: “The true story behind Ken Loach's movie Jimmy's Hall”)

This Irishman decides to build a hall, with the help of other locals, on his father's property. His dream was to have a safe place for the common people, like himself, to gather together, to talk, to listen, to learn, to dance, to have meals together; a place to have some enjoyment in their life's struggles. They had their own teachers to teach all kinds of things from the usual reading, writing, and arithmetic to art, poetry, dance, plays, and sports, such as boxing. They did it all themselves without the help of the government or others. This was during the time of the depression when there was little or no education for the commoners.

However, certain prominent members of the Catholic church saw them as threatening and wanted to put an end to the hall and Jimmy. Shots were fired at a group of men, women, and children who were in the hall one evening and the hall was eventually burned to the ground, and they tried to deport Jimmy (I'm not sure if they succeeded).

I am reading a book right now “GEORGE MULLER The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans” by Janet & Geoff Benge.

George Muller (1805-1898) felt a calling from God to take care of orphans. George starts his early life as a common thief in Prussia. He haphazardly meets up with Beta, someone he sees as a “religious do-good-er”. George goes to a Bible meeting with Beta which changes his life. These types of Bible meetings were against the law at this time in Prussia and people were known to get arrested at them. The law stated that only a registered Lutheran pastor present could give a sermon. “This was supposed to ensure that only university-trained pastors got to preach, which kept the Bible from being distorted and uneducated peasants from getting strange ideas.” At least, this was what George heard so many times was the reason for keeping the Bible away from the peasants, the commoners.

George was well educated, paid for by his father. When George decided to change schools and become a missionary, the purse-strings of his father were severed. George even told his father that he did not want his money and his father disowned him. His dependence shifted from his earthly father to his heavenly Father.

Without telling you the whole story about George, let me just tell you about the one thing that impressed me most about George Muller. In all his work with orphans and setting up orphanages, he relied on God to provide all their needs. When George announced to the public about the first orphanage in Bristol that he was about to start, he said, “God has told me to start an orphanage. There would be no collections, no asking for money, and no payment required from the children who were taken in.” “Instead, George would rely on God to supply all the needs of the orphans.”

You may think, well it was people who supplied their needs, not God. God works in the hearts of others to give where there is a need. That giving becomes a blessing for the giver as well as for the receiver; there is great joy for both.

You may be wandering why I am bringing all this up. It's because this has been on my mind a lot lately. There are an awful lot of poor people in the world today. I don't see how there can ever be enough good paying jobs for everyone. The only things we ever seem to do about the poor is forget about them, give them things that only help temporarily, or make slaves of them and put more burdens on them.

Why not do something different for a change and learn from these three true stories and probably many other stories, if we will just look for them. Unless something changes from those in control then why not help each other as they tried to do in Jimmy's Hall? Have you ever thought about what it would be like if there was no such thing as money? Those who got together in Jimmy's Hall didn't think about money. They came together to learn from each-other, to talk, to listen, to share meals, to find some joy and meaning in this life.

What we can learn from George Muller is there is nothing too difficult when God is involved. Trust that He will supply all our needs. If whatever you are doing is of God's will then you will learn that He will come through to help; you will learn that you can rely on Him.

Here are some of my most troubling thoughts:

When Hitler and the Nazis came to power in Germany their answer was to create forced labor camps where all the able bodied undesirables went. These were not only the Jews. It included the poor, the homeless (gypsies), the homosexuals, the Blacks, and many others who were deemed not of the purest Aryan race. Many in those forced labor camps died of starvation and many more were eventually moved to the death camps.

We have a new president elect, Donald J. Trump. So far, I am seeing Trump take the same path that Hitler took. Hitler and the Nazis first got rid of those who apposed them. In Hitler's time, there were two other political parties of significant strength, the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party. Their voice in the decision making process was eliminated because a fire that burned down the parliament building was blamed on one and the condition of Germany was blamed on the other.

Look at how our Democratic Party is viewed right now, and the unrest within the Republican Party, our only two political parties. Hitler got the military commanders on his side. Look how many Trump is getting on his team even in positions were it has always been filled by a civilian. There is something about Trump and Putin that bothers me. If Trump and Putin were ever able to bring our two countries together, United States and Russia, we would become the most powerful force in the world. This is all just my feelings and speculation on my part.

If president Donald Trump ever reads this, I ask you, don't do what Hitler did. You have a clean slate right now and you can, with God's help, do something no other has been able to do before. Allow the poor to get out of slavery and protect that process.

I am not saying these things to try and get people mad at those at the top who are in control. Where there is money and power involved I believe that Satan clouds people's minds so all they can see is the power and wealth they will receive. They don't see all the death, the misery, the evil that happens as a result of their control. It not only happens to the greatest among us but it happens all the way down to the least among us. Whenever there is hardships among people, there is someone who will take an unfair advantage of the situation.

If only those who receive orders leading to something that they know is evil could choose to be like Jesus and disobey and forgive. I say forgive because that person may very well die for disobeying and those who kill are either obeying orders or as Jesus said as He was being crucified, “they know not what they do.” The thing is that blood won't be on that persons' hands and the dirty work moves up the chain.

Look at how Satan tempted our Lord Jesus when He began that which He was sent to do. Matthew 4:1-11 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He [a]then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You’;

and

‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “[b]On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [c]worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and [d]serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Satan has always wanted to be like God Most High and he will offer anything to anyone who will bow down and worship him.

If you knew that Jesus Christ is returning soon, would you be different? Well, in my studies several years ago I came across scriptures in Revelations (22:16-21) that seemed to me that Jesus Himself talked to me. At the time I felt there was more to it than just telling the churches that Jesus is coming soon. I think this blog is that something more.

Revelation 22:16-21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things [a]for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and [b]from the holy city, which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with [c]all. Amen.

If it is true that Jesus Christ is returning soon then God's judgment will also be soon. Everyone both great and small and alive and dead will be judged by their deeds. The Bible describes this judgment as being like someone being stripped naked exposing their shame. God knows the truth about everyone, He even knows our thoughts and the condition of our hearts.