The Biblical Balance of Border Security and Treatment of Immigrants.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Exodus 22:21

"You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

NKJV

I came across the above scripture in my personal Bible study recently.  With all that is going on regarding illegal immigration and the incursion of masses of people from South America at our nation’s southern border, I found this scripture somewhat disturbing.  If we look solely at this scripture, we might arrive at the conclusion that the Christian thing for our nation to do is invite these people in and give them whatever they need.  Politicians like former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who equated the children coming across our southern border with the baby Jesus support this belief.  (1)  Potential Presidential candidate Jeb Bush also recently said that illegally crossing our border is an act of love.  (2)  However, before we jump to the conclusion that Nancy Pelosi and Jeb Bush are totally correct theologically, we  must look at the context of this scripture and the totality of scripture.  When we do we will see that God is not instructing Israel to just open up their borders to everyone but wants his people to treat others humanely while insuring the security of their nation. 

This command from God occurs when the nation of Israel is encamped at the foot of Mount Saini.  God has just miraculously delivered them from 400 years of Egyptian slavery.  The slavery of the Israelites was brutal and God does not want his people to become like their Egyptian slaveholders and instead wants them to treat strangers humanely. 

In this time in history, there were also many Bedouin tribes in the area and it was common for them to wonder through the country.  God knew that there would be a temptation to enslave these people when they wondered into the country and did not want his people known as brutal slaveholders.  Instead, God wanted his people to stand out as people who treated strangers in their land with compassion, something uncommon in the ancient world. 

Perhaps another reason  God did not want his people to enslave these strangers is that in doing so, they would be making them permanent residents in the land and could be tempted to adopt the culture and practices of these people.   To become a permanent resident in Israel, one was required to:

1)      Keep the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10)

2)      Observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Deuteronomy 16:14)

3)      Bring the appropriate sacrifice for sins of ignorance (Numbers 15:27-29)

4)      Observe the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29)

5)      Observe the commandments, statures, and judgments of God’s Law (Exodus 12:49)  (3)

Unfortunately, Israel did not follow the instructions of God regarding strangers in their land and adopted the gods of the nations that surrounded them.  This resulted in a division in the kingdom (1 Kings 12:1-17) and the eventual exile of the people of Israel and Judah (2 Kings 24:13-16, 25:1-21).  . 

When we look at the totality of scripture, we can discern a balance.  God’s people are to treat strangers humanely but that does not mean they are to incorporate them into their society.  This biblical balance is the basis of the immigration laws in the United States.  People are welcome to come to the United States and the citizens of the United States for the most part treat them humanely.  However, we have to expect them to follow the laws and customs of our nation. 

Unfortunately, those currently entering our nation begin by breaking the laws of our nation and expect the citizens of our country to cater to their needs and even their customs by not requiring them to learn our language.  We feed the minors currently crossing our southern border, give them shelter, and even health care so we are treating them humanely.  However, they did not choose to enter our country according to our immigration laws so we must send them back to their parents where they belong. 

Granted, the nations they are coming from have serious problems with drug cartels, human trafficking, and poverty but it is not the responsibility of the United States to solve their problems by supporting them.  Instead, the citizens of these countries must rise up and change their government just as we did in our country when we won our freedom from the British Empire and when we fought to end slavery in our nation during the Civil War. 

Prior to passing any immigration reform, we must beef up border security to insure our nation remains secure.  This can be accomplished using technology and increased border personnel.  We can also use technology to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of legally entering this country so more will be encouraged to come to our country legally.  Lastly, anyone entering our country must obey the laws of our nation or face immediate deportation. 

The current invasion of our southern border represents a serious security risk to our nation for we do not know exactly who is crossing and what their intentions are.  There is also the threat of serious disease including the possibility of Ebola, for which there is currently an outbreak, sneaking across the border.  (4)  Unfortunately, our leaders are more interested in potential political gains instead of the security of the citizens and voters of the nation. 

We must do as Jeff Sessions recently suggested and continue flooding the phone lines and emails of Congress and the White House expressing our desire for a secure border and the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws for failure to do this, I believe, will result in the eventual loss of our American lifestyle. 

1. Weber, Katherine. Nancy Pelosi Says Immigrant Children Should Be Treated Like Baby Jesus. www.christianpost.com. [Online] Christian Post Reporter, July 24, 2014. [Cited: July 29, 2014.] http://www.christianpost.com/news/nancy-pelosi-says-immigrant-children-should-be-treated-like-baby-jesus-123768/.

2. Breitbart TV. JEB BUSH: CROSSING THE BORDER ILLEGALLY AN 'ACT OF LOVE'. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, April 6, 2014. [Cited: June 24, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/04/06/Jeb-Bush-Crossing-The-Border-Illegally-Is-An-Act-Of-Love.

3. The Bible Study Site. What does the Bible say about illegal aliens. www.biblestudy.org. [Online] The Bible Study Site. [Cited: July 29, 2014.] http://www.biblestudy.org/question/what-does-bible-say-about-aliens.html.

4. Zahn, Drew. Could Ebola Sneak Across the U.S. Border. www.wnd.com. [Online] WND, July 28, 2014. [Cited: July 29, 2014.] http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/could-ebola-sneak-across-u-s-border/.

Truth, The Cure For Lies and Deception

By:  Dale Weckbacher

John 8:32

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

NKJV

The Greek word translated free in John 8:32 is the word eleutheroo, which means, “to make free, set at liberty from the dominion of sin.”  (1)  As we discovered in last Saturday’s posting, Genesis 3 in the Bible reveals a pattern of lies and deception that began in the Garden of Eden.  When Adam and Eve gave in to this pattern of lies and deception, mankind came under the dominion of sin.  However, as we can see from this verse, the truth sets us free from the dominion of sin. 

If truth is indeed the cure for lies and deception, we must discover its source and tap into it in order to immunize ourselves against the plethora of lies and deception currently gripping our world.  According to Scripture, we find truth in,

1)      Jesus – In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV) In fact, Pilate asked Jesus what is truth.  (John 18:28) Pilate’s question was in response to Jesus answer to his question asking what he had done to warrant calls for his crucifixion by his Jewish peers.  Jesus reply to Pilate’s question was that he came to bear witness to the truth.  (John 18:37).  Pilate was in essence asking the source of truth what truth was but did not stick around to hear the answer from Jesus and instead went out to the people declaring he found no fault in Jesus.  Jesus also spoke of the Spirit of Truth that one can only receive by having The Holy Spirit in them (John 14:17).  The only way for one to have the Holy Spirit in them is to have their sins forgiven by confessing Jesus as Lord of their lives (John 7:38-39).  When Jesus said he was the way, the truth, and the life, he was telling us he is the gateway to truth.  To find the source of truth we must first enter the door by accepting Jesus as our Lord.

2)      The Word of God – This past Sunday my pastor provided an excellent analogy illustrating what the Word of God is in our lives.  In the sanctuary of our church, we have speakers hanging from the ceiling.  However, we do not see the actual woofer that produces the sound for it is covered by a screen.  The pages of the Bible are similar to the screen on a speaker for they are just words on a page but backing up those words on the page is the voice of God that inspires those words.  The Words of the Bible are actually God declaring His truth to mankind.  These words also provide encouragement and are the only offensive weapon in the arsenal of the spiritual soldier (Ephesians 6:10-17).  I encourage everyone reading this to begin a daily study of the Word of God and allow it to immunize you against the lies and deceit that dominate our world. 

3)      History – When I was attending school, I, like many of my peers, did not believe history was important.  I mean, why would we need to study the past?  The past is done and there is nothing we can do about it, so why bother studying it?  However, as I have grown older I realize that history provides lessons from the past that teach what to do and what not to do.  Once again, the Bible is a great source of such lessons for it is full of historical accounts of men and women some of which did great things and others who blew it.  I once heard it said that experience is the best teacher, but it is less painful to learn from the experiences of others. 

In this time of chaos, our world exposes us to many lies and deceptions as people attempt to use crisis to advance their agenda.  We also live in a world dominated by the philosophy of post-modernism, which relegates truth into something molded to fit ones agenda instead of the standard we should use to mold our lives.  (2)  I believe that truth, especially the truth contained in the Bible, is absolute and what guides my life.  I encourage everyone reading this to join me in allowing truth to guide your life as well. 

I want to close with some encouraging words that my pastor shared this past week in his daily email devotion.  My hope is that these words of truth will encourage you as they did me. 

"...Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4, NASB).

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).

"No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you" (Joshua 1:5).

"When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them" (Psalm 91:15).

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us' " (Matthew 1:23).

"But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength…" (2 Timothy 4:17a).  (3)

1. BibleStudyTools.com. Eleutheroo. www.biblestudytools.com. [Online] [Cited: July 25, 2014.] http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/eleutheroo.html.

2. PhD., Louis Hoffman. Premodernism, Modernism, & Postmodernism:. www.postmodernpsychology.com. [Online] [Cited: September 7, 2013.] http://www.postmodernpsychology.com/Philosophical_Systems/Overview.htm.

3. Martin, Mark. Grace Mail from July 25, 2014. [Email] Phoenix : Calvary Community Church, 2014.

Being Fearless in a Fearful World

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Hebrews 13:6

"The LORD is my helper;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?"  

NKJV

In our chaotic world there does not seem to be any shortage of fear or things to be fearful of.  As of the time of this writing, there is an incursion illegal immigrants on the southern border of the United States.  The economy in the United States, and in other parts of the world, is stagnant with more and more people having given up on finding work.  Many of these individuals have ran out of their unemployment and turned to SSI disability and foodstamps to survive. 

The United States is not the only place where fear abounds for the situation in the Ukraine has gone global with the shooting down of a civilian airliner using a sophisticated weapons system.  Then we have the situation in Israel where one third of the population has had to spend time in a bomb shelter due to Palestinian rocket attacks.  Then there is the plight of Christians in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries martyred for their faith in a present day Christian holocaust. 

Hebrews 13:6 reminds us that the Lord is our helper and we do not have to fear what men can do to us.  However, even Christians are human and can easily begin to fear, especially with all the fearful events currently happening in our world so let us take a moment and look at some of Gods promises to us and allow them to encourage us.  God’s Word reminds us that we need not fear:

1)      Physical harm – In Acts 6 and 7 we have the account of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.  Stephen was only guilty of living and proclaiming his faith in Jesus Christ as his Messiah and for these actions, his fellow Jews accused him of blasphemy.  Stephen knew that the sentence for someone accused of blasphemy was death and we would normally expect him to react in fear.  However, instead of reacting with fear, Stephen delivered a sermon to his Jewish accusers pointing out that Jesus was the Messiah and that they had rejected Him.  Stephen must have known his sermon would result in his death but Stephen also knew that being absent from his earthly body meant being present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). 

2)      Emotional Harm – The Apostle Paul was present at the murder of Stephen and shortly after found himself on the road to Damascus where he had a personal and very powerful encounter with Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-9).  This encounter caused Paul to do a 180 in his life changing from one of Christianity’s greatest opponents to its greatest proponent.  Paul’s conversion caused him to become a target of persecution just like Stephen but did not result in his death, at least not right away.  Paul’s persecution caused him to spend much time in Roman jails in various parts of the empire.  While alone in these jails and not knowing when he would face death, like Stephen, must have caused great emotional fear in Paul but Paul, like Stephen, did not react with fear.  Instead, while imprisoned, Paul wrote letters to the churches he had established, letters that became much of the New Testament.  Paul had seen the risen Lord on the Road to Damascus and was not about to let fear stop him from completing his mission of spreading the Gospel.  When Paul knew he was about to be martyred for his faith he wrote to Timothy telling him “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  (2 Timothy 4:7, NKJV)

3)      Spiritual Harm – When we give our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts.  As Christians living in this chaotic world, we are continually in a spiritual battle with our enemy, Satan.  However, we do not need to fear for “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  (1 John 4:4, NKJV).  This does not mean everything will be rosy for we are still in a battle and may even lose some battles along the way, but The Bible shows us that everything will end with God on the throne so we know victory is ours. 

Yes, these are fearful and chaotic times but we do not have to live our lives dominated by fear.  Instead, we can live our lives dominated by the promises contained in God’s Word, which assure us that the end result in our lives is victory and eternity in the presence of the Lord.  There is no man, woman, government, or power of hell that can take this victory from us so hold your heads up and place your trust in the Lord.  

The Source of the Pattern of Lies and Deception

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Genesis 3:1-5

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

NKJV

The context of this scripture is man and woman living in a pristine garden.  God supplies everything they need and the Adam and Eve even has direct contact with God their creator (Genesis 2:8-9).  It is in this pristine environment that the Bible introduces us to Satan.  Right off the bat we see Satan as the great liar and deceiver (Genesis 3:1-5). 

Satan begins by getting Eve to question the command of God allowing them to eat of any tree of the Garden except the one in the middle of the garden, telling them that if they eat of it they will die.  Satan is able to twist the command of God and cause Eve to believe God is depriving her and her husband of the ability to know good and evil.  Unfortunately both Adam and Eve fall for the deception and the fall of man is complete causing God to evict them from the pristine Garden before they could eat of the Tree of Life and be sentenced to eternal life in their sinful rebellious state (Genesis 3:22-24). 

We still see this pattern of lies and deception followed today by people desiring to push an agenda.  For example:

1)      The LGBT agenda – On the Rush Limbaugh show for July 16, 2014, Mr. Limbaugh posited the question “How gay is America.”  (1)  Rush’s question was prompted by an article appearing in the July 15 Washington Post.  (2)  Rush postulated that if we were to poll Americans and ask them how much of America was gay, they would most likely come up with a number higher than the 1.6% from the CDC report cited in the Washington Post article.  (2)  Rush theorizes that the media and academia have successfully created an appearance of a greater number of gays in the population.  This theory has credence with some of TV’s top executives admitting in an interview that they use their clout to advance a liberal political agenda.  (3)  This is similar to the tactic used by Satan in the Garden creating the appearance that God was depriving Adam and Eve of the knowledge of good and evil.

2)      Global warming – According to John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel, the theory that the human use of carbon-based fossil fuels will lead to catastrophic global warming or climate change is a hoax and even criminal.  (4)  We now also know that scientists even manipulated and ignored data in order to advance the man-caused climate change agenda.  (5)  When Eve told Satan that God did not permit them to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge for if they did they would surely die, Satan replied with a lie saying they would not surely die.  Even in the midst of data showing the manipulation and destruction of data, climate change activists tell us to ignore the facts just as Satan asked Adam and Eve to ignore what God said.

3)      Common Core – Supporters of Common Core believe that having a standardized uniform set of education standards will improve public education.  It is like going into a clothing store and buying an article of clothing with the size marked as one size fits all.  Anyone that is in the least bit observant will notice that people come in many different sizes and it is a myth to believe that there is a one size fits all size for clothing.  The same is true of education.  (6)  We also have to consider the agenda of those choosing the standards for education.  In the case of Common Core, they are individuals with a leftist agenda.  Once again, we see that Common Core is a deception touting that it will create a generation of super educated individuals when the truth is that it will create a generation of indoctrinated individuals, indoctrinated with a left leaning agenda.  (7)

4)      Southern border invasion – As one living in a state that borders Mexico many in my community are concerned with the incursion, or as I like to refer to it invasion at our southern border.  For many years, politicians on the left have spewed their propaganda telling us that these individuals were coming into our nation seeking a better life and that they are the future of our nation.  (8)  As we now see an invasion of people at our southern border, we are seeing a glimpse of what that future may look like.  The people invading our border are mostly children whose parents have sent them out on a very dangerous journey across Mexico to our southern border.  If a parent were to do that within the borders of our nation, they we would rightfully arrest them for child abuse.  I agree that we as a civilized and humane society need to provide shelter, clothing, and food for these minor children but this does not mean we must disperse them into our society, exposing our citizens to dangerous diseases.  (9)  We need to look at the big picture here and address the reason these children’s parents are sending them here.  The nation’s these children come from are poor but only because of corruption within their governments and violence caused by drug lords and human traffickers.  The long-term solution to this problem involves reuniting these children with their parents and sending them back to their country while withholding aid to these countries until they clean up the corruption and crime within their borders.  Of course, we also must secure our borders and screen all people entering our country and only allow those into our country that choose to come here legally.  It is unrealistic and deceptive for our nation and its leaders to believe our nation can be a dumping place for all the worlds’ refugees.  Our government’s duty is to protect its citizens, a duty our leaders are failing at as evidenced by what is occurring at our southern border.  We are not falling for the myth that these poor and sick people are the bright future of our nation for just as Satan deceived Adam and Eve with the myth they would become like God by disobeying Him.  We know that these poor and sick people coming into our country are only going to provide a future of a larger entitlement class for our nation that will cause increased deficits and debt for our nation until it eventually goes broke. 

The pattern of lies and deception introduced by Satan in the Garden of Eden has not changed through the years.  As we see that pattern at use in our world today, we now understand the source of this pattern of lies and deception and are able to discern the lies and deception.  This understanding allows us to discern the truth and knowing the truth will set us free (John 8:32). 

1. Limbaugh, Rush. How Gay is America? Not So Much. www.rushlimbaugh.com. [Online] EIB Network, July 16, 2014. [Cited: 17 2014, July.] http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2014/07/16/how_gay_is_america_not_so_much.

2. Somashekhar, Sandhya. Health survey gives government its first large-scale data on gay, bisexual population. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, July 15, 2014. [Cited: July 17, 2014.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/health-survey-gives-government-its-first-large-scale-data-on-gay-bisexual-population/2014/07/14/2db9f4b0-092f-11e4-bbf1-cc51275e7f8f_story.html.

3. The Hollywood Reporter. TV Execs Admit Hollywood Pushes a Liberal Agenda. newmediajournal.us. [Online] New Media Journal. [Cited: July 17, 2014.] http://newmediajournal.us/indx.php/item/1725.

4. Hendrickson, Mark. Climate Change: 'Hoax' Or Crime Of The Century? www.forbes.com. [Online] Forbes, September 16, 2012. [Cited: July 17, 2014.] http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhendrickson/2012/09/16/climate-change-hoax-or-crime-of-the-century/.

5. Taylor, James. Climategate 2.0: New E-Mails Rock The Global Warming Debate. www.forbes.com. [Online] Forbes, November 23, 2011. [Cited: July 17, 2014.] http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2011/11/23/climategate-2-0-new-e-mails-rock-the-global-warming-debate/.

6. Erickson, Erick. The Common Core. www.redstate.com. [Online] Red State, May 6, 2014. [Cited: July 19, 2014.] http://www.redstate.com/2014/05/06/the-common-core/.

7. Catholictradition.org. Common Core and Cair: Why You Should Care. www.ctholictradition.org. [Online] [Cited: July 19, 2014.] http://www.catholictradition.org/common-core.htm.

8. Gehrke, Joel. Obama" 'Our Future REsts' On the Success Of DREAM Kids. www.nationalreview.com. [Online] The National Review, June 11, 2014. [Cited: July 19, 2014.] http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/380193/obama-our-future-rests-success-dream-kids-joel-gehrke.

9. Wilde, Robert. 40 CASES OF ACTIVE SCABIES AND HEAD LICE FOUND AMONG ILLEGAL ALIENS IN CALIFORNIA. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, July 2, 2014. [Cited: July 4, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/07/02/7-Cases-of-Active-Scabies-Found-on-Illegal-Immigrants-in-Chula-Vista.

Why Israel is Important

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Genesis 12:3

I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

NKJV

Since Israel became a nation again in 1948 it seems they are constantly in the news.  Israel has become a dividing line for nations with some choosing to bless her and others choosing to curse her.  The relationship of the United States with Israel has been friendly but often strained.  However, even when the relationship is strained, the United States historically has not hesitated to offer its support.  Perhaps it is because Christians and Jews living in the United States take Genesis 12:3 seriously and want the nation to be among those blessing Israel. 

The current administration, however, does not seem to take this scripture seriously and believes Israel must give back land that is rightfully theirs in order to restore peace to the land.  (1)  Obviously, they have not studied history or read their Bible for the Land of Israel has hardly experienced peace since God gave the land to Abraham.  I find it arrogant for people in this administration to believe they can somehow wave the magic wand of diplomacy and end a battle that has been going on for thousands of years. 

Why is Israel so important anyway?  I mean I have been to Israel and it is a relative small nation.  Unlike its neighbors, it does not have any petroleum at least not that is known by other petroleum producing nations.  (2)  Its only source of fresh water is the Sea of Galilee, which is fed from runoff from the north that originates in countries that are enemies of Israel.  In fact, the major cause of the Six Day War was a water dispute.  (3)  Israel does have a thriving agricultural industry (4) which will become important during the times of famine predicted in the Last Days. 

However, Israel is important for the following reasons:

1)      Spiritually – The above scripture in Genesis 12:3 promises a blessing on individuals and nations that choose to bless Israel.  It also says that all the families of the earth shall be blessed.  This is a prophetic scripture referencing the fact that Jesus, the Messiah, would come to the world through the lineage of Abraham and bring the blessing of salvation to the world (Matthew 1:1-17). 

2)      Politically – Enemies surround Israel.  Granted nations like Jordan have peace agreements with Israel and right now honor those agreements, but many other nations would like to see Israel pushed into the Mediterranean.  This is especially true of the Palestinians, a nation within a nation that Israel actually allows to live within its own borders.  The Palestinians thank Israel for their generosity by shooting rockets into Israel causing the Israelis to live in fear close to the nearest bomb shelter instead of going about their normal lives.  This is why Israel has to put sanctions on the Palestinians.  If the Palestinians were to live peacefully in Israel as other Muslims do, they could live outside Gaza and the West Bank.  However, every time there is a ceasefire in the region, the Palestinians use it to regroup and begin another series of attacks.  The driver of our bus when my family and I were touring Israel in 2008 lived close to Gaza and several times during the eight days we were in Israel, he would receive calls from his wife letting him know they were okay.  One day we sat down for coffee together and he showed me pictures of his family.  He has a beautiful family that does not deserve having to live under the threat of the next rocket attack.  Since Israel is a democracy, why don’t the Palestinians use the political system in Israel to elect more people to office that are sympathetic to their cause but this goes against the belief of radical Muslims that their mission is the complete destruction of infidels, especially Jewish infidels.

3)      Militarily – Since our nation has decided to cow tow to the interests of environmentalists, we leave our rich oil reserves in the ground and depend on foreign oil, much of which comes from Islamic nations that are enemies of Israel and the United States.  It is therefore important for our nation to have an ally in the region that can help keep the oil flowing freely.  However, if the Obama administration continues to alienate our relationship with Israel, we run the risk of some major conflict breaking out in the region that will disrupt the flow of oil causing petroleum prices to rise sharply.  We know this to be true for just the mention of some terrorist group taking control of a refinery causes oil prices to rise.  (5) (6)

As we can see, Israel is important spiritually, politically, and militarily.  Economically we cannot afford a spike in oil prices due to a failure of our nation to support our powerful ally in the region, Israel.  It is inhumane for us to ignore the daily missile attacks on innocent civilians in Israel just because our cowardly leaders fear angering some Islamic group that will continue to hate us anyway.  After all, the U.S. is the big Satan in their eyes. 

God has blessed our nation throughout its history primarily because in our founding documents we declared our belief in God given inalienable rights and the nation’s duty to protect them.  Unfortunately, our nation has been in a moral decline for many years and now risks losing the special blessing promised by God in Genesis 12:3.  In these dangerous and uncertain times, we must return to the godly principles of our founding and bless Israel by helping them for we need all the blessings from God that we can get. 

Israel is an important part of our nation’s Middle Eastern foreign policy and I urge everyone to support leaders that support Israel, and vote out those that do not in the upcoming election.   

1. Cohen, Tom. Obama calls for Israel's return to pre-1967 borders. www.cnn.com. [Online] CNN Politics, May 19, 2011. [Cited: July 15, 2014.] http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/19/obama.israel.palestinians/.

2. Mitchell, Chris. A New Holy Oil? Searching for Petroleum in Israel. www.cbn.com. [Online] CBN News, May 24, 2010. [Cited: July 15, 2014.] http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2010/May/Company-Searches-for-Oil-in-Israel/.

3. Orion Magazene. Holy Water. www.orionmagazene.org. [Online] Orion Magazene, November/December 2011. [Cited: July 15, 2014.] http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6473/.

4. Agrotour. ISRAEL'S AGRICULTURE AT A GLANCE. www.agro-tour.com.il. [Online] Agro Tour, July 15, 2014. [Cited: July 15, 2014.] http://www.agro-tour.co.il/israel_agriculture.html.

5. Mufson, Steven. Iraq’s biggest oil refinery is on fire. How important is that? www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, June 18, 2014. [Cited: July 15, 2014.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/06/18/iraqs-biggest-oil-refinery-is-on-fire-how-important-is-that/.

6. CBC News. Airfares, gas prices on way up as oil hits 9-month high. www.cbc.ca. [Online] CBC News, June 20, 2014. [Cited: July 15, 2014.] http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/airfares-gas-prices-on-way-up-as-oil-hits-9-month-high-1.2682377.

The Capstone of God’s Creation

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

Luke 1:26-28

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her,"Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"  

NKJV

Most of us will never experience an angelic visitation in our lives.  I would like to have seen the look on Mary’s face when the angel told her she was highly favored.  This scripture is just one example of the important role women play in God’s plan for this world.  For Mary this role was perhaps the most important role of any women for she would have the privilege of giving birth to the Son of God and savior of the world. 

However, if an alien were to land on our planet and only saw how the media portrays the treatment of women by Christians, they would conclude that Christians have no regard for the basic health needs of woman.  This would especially be true if they were only to read the opinions of the liberal media on the Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case.  (1)

The court case revolved around Obamacare and the mandate that companies provide health insurance for their employees that included contraceptives that terminate a conceived fetus.  The owners of Hobby Lobby are Christians believing that life begins at conception.  Therefore, the termination of a conceived fetus is murder and violates God’s command not to kill or murder.  Their charge was that since the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right of individuals to practice their religion, a government mandate to provide drugs that murder a conceived fetus they believe is alive prohibits them from practicing their religion.  The good news for Hobby Lobby was that five justices in the Supreme Court agreed with their complaint and they are not required to provide these drugs.  (2) (3)

The court ruling was narrow (2) in that only closely held family corporations are exempted but if our aliens were only paying attention to what the mainstream media reported about the ruling they would be led to believe that all women in the country were being denied basic health care.  (1)  They would also believe that pregnancy was an illness and not the birth of a new life.  (4)  However, if our aliens were to do their research into Christianity, they would discover that the information they were receiving from the media was false.  Here are some examples:

1)      Eve – After completing His creation God said that His creation was good (Genesis 1:31).  However, God then says in Genesis 2:18 that it was not good for man to be alone.  This appears to be a contradiction but there is no contradiction when we look at Genesis 1 and 2 in context.  Genesis 1 is an overview of creation, which God proclaimed as good, but in Genesis 2, the second account of creation we see a more detailed look at creation.  (5)  God created woman because he determined that it was not good for man to be alone.  In essence, the creation of woman placed the capstone on God’s creation demonstrating the importance of women in God’s plan.

2)      Esther – Esther was able to use her influence as queen to save the Jewish people from extinction.  If Esther had failed in her role not only would the Jewish race have gone extinct, Messiah would also not have been born.  Esther played a vital role in preserving both Judaism and Christianity. 

3)      Mary Magdalene and the other Mary – These two women were the first to be told the Jesus has risen from the dead and given the privilege of announcing it to the disciples  (Matthew 28:1-8). 

Contrary to popular belief, women play vital roles in both Judaism and Christianity and are the capstone of God’s creation.  Christians like those that own Hobby Lobby are not interested in hurting women or depriving them of needed health care.  Their interest, and the reason they spent money on legal fees to fight the contraceptive mandate of Obamacare was solely due to their interest in not having the women in their employ commit murder at their expense. 

The mainstream media’s claims that Christians like those owning Hobby Lobby are conducting a war on women are in the interest of furthering a political agenda.  Their agenda is to create a dependent class of women that will vote in perpetuity in support of free contraceptives.  Fortunately, the Supreme Court did their due diligence and ruled in favor of protecting the first amendment right of the owners of Hobby Lobby. 

Jesus said it well in John 8:32 where he said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  (NKJV).  The purpose of this blog is to declare the truth, especially the truth of the Bible.  Each post begins with a scripture in order to place our primary focus on the Word of God.  This elevates our perspective and reminds us that no matter how bad things appear, God is in control. 

May God bless everyone. 

1. Davis, Sean. 6 Stupid Arguments About Hobby Lobby From Dumb Liberals. thefederalist.com. [Online] The Federalist, June 30, 2014. [Cited: July 11, 2014.] http://thefederalist.com/2014/06/30/6-stupid-arguments-about-hobby-lobby-from-dumb-liberals/.

2. Patterson, Tom. Patterson: Hobby Lobby decision a narrow win for liberty. www.eastvalleytribune.com. [Online] East Valley Tribune, July 11, 2014. [Cited: July 11, 2014.] http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/columns/east_valley_voices/article_b1c88b88-0892-11e4-b2c7-0019bb2963f4.html.

3. U.S. Supreme Court. BURWELL, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN. www.supremecourt.com. [Online] October 30, 2014. [Cited: July 11, 2014.] http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf.

4. Blanchard, Vanessa. Pregnancy is Not an Illness. guardianlv.com. [Online] Liberty Voice, September 21, 2013. [Cited: July 12, 2014.] http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/pregnancy-is-not-an-illness/.

5. Olson, Dennis. Commentary on Genesis 2:18-24. www.workingpreacher.org. [Online] The Luther Seminary. [Cited: July 11, 2014.] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=400.

Leaving an Eternal Memorial and Legacy:

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Exodus 12:14

'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.

NKJV

Proverbs 13:22

 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,

NKJV

These two verses in Exodus and Proverbs remind us to leave memorials and inheritances to our children.  To the Jews, a memorial was remembering all the things God did for them.  For example, Passover is a feast where Jews remember how God miraculously delivered Israel from their Egyptian slavery.  For Christians, the Passover feast also points to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  Jewish families also were encouraged to leave a financial inheritance for not only their children, but also their children’s children.  In this way, families helped insure the care and well-being of each successive generation. 

In the 238-year history of our nation, freedom-loving people have strived to leave a better and more prosperous country for each successive generation.  This has not been easy but for the most part, each successive generation in our nation has enjoyed a better and more prosperous nation.  However, the next generation in our nation may actually be the first forced to settle for a less prosperous and most importantly less free nation. 

The founders dreamed of a nation where each individual enjoyed the same freedoms and opportunities to prosper.  This does not mean, however, that every individual in the nation would become wealthy, only that each individual would have the opportunity to become wealthy should they decide to do the work necessary to accumulate wealth.  Each successive generation in our nation has been able to learn from the successes and mistakes of their ancestors and advance. 

However, politicians on both sides of the aisle have learned to campaign for office promising government programs that will take care of people’s needs without them having to work for it.  Of course, these goodies come at the cost of some individual liberties.  However, politicians know that if they are able to little by little chip away at liberties, people will not notice they have lost their liberties until it is too late.  The current state of our nation is the result of 100 years of progressivism that began in 1914 during the Wilson Administration. 

During the Wilson Administration, the nation saw the Constitution amended to make taxation of individual income constitutional.  It saw the formation of the Federal Reserve, a centralized banking system with the power to control the nation’s money supply and the changing the election of U.S. Senators from through state legislatures to by the voters. 

These three acts have resulted in the redistribution of wealth.  This is because the income tax has evolved into a tax where the top income earners in the nation pay a majority of the tax while those in the lower income brackets either pay little or no tax.  Many even receive refundable tax credits such as the Earned Income Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit, which constitutes a direct transference of wealth.  Each time the Federal Reserve meets, the economy holds its breath wondering if the actions of the Fed will mean a contraction or expansion of the money supply.  Senators are no longer accountable to their states and instead win election to office by voters interested in receiving more largesse from an ever-expanding Federal Government leviathan. 

To make matters worse politicians now tell us that the future of our nation is somehow in the hands of minors or so called dreamers who have illegally entered our nation.  These individuals have entered our nation not seeking a better life by taking advantage of the liberties and opportunities our ancestors came here for but instead come seeking a free education, healthcare, and a home.  Many have also come to our nation carrying diseases such as scabies, tuberculosis, and lice.  As our government moves these people from the border into the interior of our nation, these serious diseases, diseases our nation has eradicated, into our nation so we can all share them.  I recently received a tweet encouraging people to get their immunizations up to date for the future looks rather scary.  That is an understatement and good advice

I for one do not plan to have this be the memorial and inheritance I am going to leave for my family.  However, not all is lost for we do still have elections but we have to start winning these elections beginning with the next two before we slide any further over the cliff.  We also have the Lord who has promised in His Word to

Philippians 4:19

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

NLT

1 Peter 2:24

He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds!

NLT

In other words, in Christ we have provision for our needs and healing for our diseases.  I find this to be a source of great comfort in my life for no matter what government does or who wins election to office, I can put my trust in a God who is more powerful than any government or government official.  If you have not already done so, I encourage you to give your life to Christ and ask him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart (Romans 10:9-10). 

These are troubling times and there will no doubt be many struggles ahead but giving your heart to the Lord opens the door to an eternal relationship with God that has eternal life in the glorious presence of the Lord as a reward (John 3:16).  After all, we need every advantage in these troubling times.  

Celebrating Those Who Built This Nation

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

NKJV

Hebrews 12:1 is a continuation of what is in chapter 11.  In chapter 11, the writer of Hebrews presents what some theologians call the hall of fame.  The writer is urging us to live godly lives by asking us to remember those that preceded us in the faith.  These men such as Moses and Abraham were not perfect but are in this hall of fame because of their great faith in God.  Their mention in this hall of fame also demonstrates the mercy of a God who accepts us in spite of our mistakes. 

Yesterday, we celebrated Independence Day in the United States.  The day commemorates July 4, 1776, the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  The signers of this document knew they were committing treason and risked losing everything they owned, including their lives by putting their signature to this document.  However, these men were men of principle, believing that the treatment by King George in England of the colonists was wrong and immoral. 

They had spent several years attempting to have their redresses peacefully corrected but were continually ignored.  As they stated in the declaration, they believed the time had come for action and stated this intention in the Declaration,

               

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.  (1)

The signers of the Declaration are just one example of our national hall of fame in the United States for throughout our rich history we have had other great leaders.  We had George Washington who not only was our nation’s first President but also a great military strategist that was able to take a rag tag army and defeat the greatest military power of the time in order to establish the independence of the new nation.

We have had Abraham Lincoln, a self-educated man who won election to the Presidency and then faced the division of the nation resulting in the bloodiest war in our nation’s history, the Civil War.  Lincoln’s leadership was able to preserve the union and in the process end the practice of slavery in our nation. 

We have had leaders like Franklin Roosevelt, someone I personally disagree with politically, who kept the nation together when Japan brutally attacked it December 7, 1942 at Pearl Harbor.  Roosevelt’s strong leadership helped the Allies defeat the Axis powers, which included Adolf Hitler.  Even though I disagree with Roosevelt’s liberal politics, his courage and love for this country was without doubt as demonstrated by his willingness to attack and defeat the cowards that attacked our nation, something I believe many of our leaders today would hesitate to do. 

Then there are the unnamed heroes of our nation.  These are the people serving in our military, firefighters, and police officers keeping us safe.  There are also those in the medical profession that care for us when we are sick.  Those that make our cars, build our homes, deliver the goods and services we buy, and grow our food.  Everyday these unnamed heroes get up early, fight traffic, and go to work.  Their contributions, even though they may seem small to them, are part of what has built this nation.

Unfortunately, it seems that many of our leaders today, in the interest of building a perpetual entitlement class depending upon them for their basic needs, discount the contributions of these great men and women of our past.  They instead go, as Nancy Pelosi recently did, to the border and welcome lawbreakers who have illegally entered our country claiming they are the future of this nation.  (2)   We have no idea what kind of future this will be for we have no way of knowing what these law breakers intend to do to our country for we have no idea who they really are or where they came from. 

Is it any wonder that recent polls show that a vast majority of the nation does not support this invasion of refugees?  (3)  It is pathetic that our nation’s leaders would use children whose parents have placed them in danger in order to further their political ambitions of transforming our country into something that would make the authors of our Declaration of Independence roll over in their graves.  Not to mention the fact that many of these people are bringing in diseases long eradicated in our nation.  (4)

As one of the citizens of this country that have made an, all be it small, contribution to this nation, I am sick and tired of constantly hearing from politicians, many of whom I may have voted for, that these uneducated, illegal aliens somehow are the future of this country.  What are we, chopped liver? 

Granted this nation has problems but if these politicians would take their heads out of the political sands long enough, they might realize that the solution to our nation’s problems is right within its borders.  Within the borders of this nation is the creative knowledge and energy to save this nation but that creative energy is currently being hampered and misdirected.  Our education system indoctrinates children into a politically correct groupthink that teaches children to spew a leftist agenda instead of how to critically think through and create solutions to our nation’s problems. 

Our media spews its hate America agenda making being patriotic and loving the greatness of this nation unpopular.  People that easily succumb to peer pressure fear looking patriotic and go along with the hate America agenda.  They even vote for politicians advancing this agenda just to remain popular.  Politicians then add the racial or gender component, and the situation goes viral.

We must secure our borders and stop encouraging people to illegally enter our nation.  We must send all of the politicians supporting any form of amnesty and the expansion of the entitlement system, regardless of whether they are Democrat or Republican, home packing and replace them with leaders interested in utilizing the creative solutions now latent within the great people of our nation. 

Our nation, just like the Christian and Jewish faith, has a rich heritage of heroes.  We also have an extensive creative energy in our nation that must be unleashed.  As we move on past Independence Day, let us once again restore our nation to the position of greatness brought on by the spirit of independence of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

If you are with me on this, please feel free to comment to this post.  

1. Hillsdale College. The Declaration of Independance. The U.S. Constitution: A reader. Hillsdale Michigan : Hillsdale College Press, 2012.

2. Urbanski, Dave. Nancy Pelosi at the Border: Influx of Illegal Immigrants an ‘Opportunity,’ Not a ‘Crisis’. www.theblaze.com. [Online] The Blaze, June 28, 2014. [Cited: July 4, 2014.] http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/06/28/nancy-pelosi-at-the-border-influx-of-illegal-immigrants-an-opportunity-not-a-crisis/.

3. Munro, Neil. Gallup Shows Obama Is Wrong About Immigration. dailycaller.com. [Online] The Daily Caller, June 29, 2014. [Cited: July 4, 2014.] http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/29/gallup-shows-obama-wrong-about-immigration/.

4. Wilde, Robert. 40 CASES OF ACTIVE SCABIES AND HEAD LICE FOUND AMONG ILLEGAL ALIENS IN CALIFORNIA. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, July 2, 2014. [Cited: July 4, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/07/02/7-Cases-of-Active-Scabies-Found-on-Illegal-Immigrants-in-Chula-Vista.

Celebrating Our Creed of Independence

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

1 Corinthians 8:6

yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 

NKJV

1 Corinthians 8:6 sums up the creed of Christianity.  The word creed comes from the Latin word credo and means I believe.  This passage sums up the Christian belief in one God, the Father and one Lord Jesus Christ, Gods only Son.  All things are from God and through His Son Jesus Christ we have eternal life. 

This week we will be celebrating Independence Day in the United States.  It is the day when the founders of the United States declared their independence from the British crown.  The creed of their declaration is found in the Declaration of Independence.  Let us take a moment to see what the creed of our nation is for when we do, we will see how far our nation has strayed from the initial creed of its founders.  

The second paragraph of the Declaration summarizes the creed of the nation much as the above verse summarizes the creed of Christianity and says the following:

 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— (1)

The first statement of the creed states that all men are created equal.  In spite of what some liberals might believe today, the founders of our nation did believe in equality.  However, their equality was equality at creation.  Their belief was that in the eyes of the creator every human being was equal at creation.  However, they were not stating a belief in equal outcomes as liberals today do.  The founders belief is biblically based for Jesus himself said,

Matthew 26:11-12

11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.

NKJV

With this statement, Jesus was declaring that Income inequality is a fact.  This does not mean we are not to help the poor but does tell us that no matter what we do to try to bring about equality of income, there will always be income inequality. 

Perhaps one of the reasons for the fact of income inequality is found in the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-29.  In this parable, we see that some individuals use their talents and they expand and grow whereas some hide their talents and end up losing them.  God grants us all talents when He creates us but inequality occurs because of how people either use, or fail to use their God given talents. 

The founders of the United States understood this and is why in the Declaration stated their belief that all men are created equal.  Their idea of equality for the nation was that it be a place where people could develop their God given talents and succeed.  The founders would have also rejected the idea of classes in the country such as the middle class.  In their eyes, there was but one class of people in the nation and where someone ended up economically was dependent upon how they used the opportunities offered them through our free society. 

The creed in the Declaration then goes on to tell us that the founders believed rights were from the creator and unalienable.  However, if one does not believe in a creator, they must seek another source for the granting of their rights.  Faced with this dilemma, many today turn to government as the purveyor of their rights. 

However, leadership in government is subject to change each election so if one believes government grants them their rights they end up riding the political rollercoaster from leadership more than happy to grant them what they feel they are entitled to into leadership unsympathetic to their sense of entitlement.  Is it any wonder many atheist liberals despise elections for each election means they may lose their rights and with them some of their entitlements.  This also explains their disdain for conservatives for they view them as the ones against a government big enough to grant them the entitlements they believe they have a right to.  However, when we believe our rights are from God who never changes, we can have stability in our lives. 

Finally, the creed of the Declaration mentions what these inalienable rights are, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Those placing their trust in a government that changes each election constantly live under the threat that the next change in leadership threatens their basic rights.  Is it any wonder there is so much unhappiness, misery, and anger in our world? 

The founders envisioned a new country where individuals could live their lives enjoying the God given right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  This is why they formed a representative republic government with limited powers distributed among three co-equal branches of government.  Unfortunately, many in government today, especially President Obama have overstepped their Constitutional bounds.  However, there is still hope for our republic as evidenced by the unanimous Supreme Court decision this week that threw out Obama’s recess appointments   (2)

As we celebrate Independence Day this week, let us take a moment to read the Declaration of Independence and reflect on what it says.  Let us reflect on the fact that it is God and not some government run by imperfect humans that grants us our rights.  Let us reflect on the fact that the government is not the purveyor of our rights but the protector of our God given rights.  When we place government in its proper perspective and seek our life, liberty, and happiness from God, we will find it and be able to live lives filled with the liberty that can only come from a relationship with God.  For as it says in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”  (NKJV)  Happy Independence Day everyone.

1. Hillsdale College. The Declaration of Independance. The U.S. Constitution: A reader. Hillsdale Michigan : Hillsdale College Press, 2012.

2. Wolf, Richard. High court rules against Obama on recess appointments. www.usatoday.com. [Online] USA Today, June 26, 2014. [Cited: July 1, 2014.] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/26/supreme-court-obama-senate-appointments/8528059/.