The Prognosis Is Not Good
Neal Ross

I was talking to a former classmate of mine the other night and she and I both agree that the future of this country is looking pretty bleak. Our conversation was cut short; as it was supper time for her, but she stated that our system needed to be tossed out and restarted. I have had numerous conversations with others who stated similar sentiments; saying that we need to eliminate the current behemoth we call government, and go back to the ‘limited’ government outlined by the Constitution. While I agree with those who say our system has become a fat bloated pig; filled with corruption, and controlled by special interests, it is with the belief that going back to the original government, as outlined by the Constitution, where we diverge. 

I look at it this way. If the Constitution could not prevent what has happened from happening the first time they tried it, what is to prevent the same thing from happening if we simply went back to square one and started over again? There is a line, and I think I’ve mentioned this before, from the movie, Jesus of Nazareth, where Jesus tells Barabbas, “Before kingdoms can change, people must change.”

Think about that. If people today will not vote for candidates who promise to stick within the confines of what the Constitution says are the powers of government (as if that worthless document actually placed any limits on government) then what is to prevent them from voting for the same kind of people once the system gets a reboot? What I am saying is, the system has already proven to be ineffective at limiting government once, right? So, if we simply go back to square one and try it again, unless the people have a change of heart and mind as to what government should do for them, then we will end up right back where we are now; and probably much quicker than the first time.

Look at America today; look at the people who inhabit it, and tell me what you see…and be honest. For one thing, I see a people whose motto may as well be, ‘Party over principle.’ For most voters, the only thing that matters to them is that their party is in control of the system. They cry out about the abuses of the system by the ‘other’ party, then turn a blind eye to the abuses of the system by those belonging to their party. That tells me that people’s party loyalty is much more important to them than the principles they claim to support; with this being even more truthful when it comes to those who call themselves Constitutional Conservatives. At least the Democrats do not hide who and what they are; they just seek to use the system to bring about their ‘progressive’ agenda; while the Republican Party is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Look at Congress; it’s approval rating sits in the gutter at a record low of around 15%, yet the re-election rate for incumbents is around 91%. That tells me that people are not so much displeased with how ‘their’ representative is doing, they are upset over how the ‘other’ side is putting up roadblocks for their party’s agenda. Therefore, until people can come to an agreement with one another over what function government is supposed to serve, any thought of rebooting the system and starting over will only end up with the same result; which leads me to the next reason I do not see that as a viable solution.

I have heard many people say that we need to convene an Article 5 convention and amend the Constitution so that it produces a better system of government; one that could not do much of what it currently does. What’s to stop an Article 5 convention from having the exact opposite effect; producing a system that is far worse than the one we currently have? Don’t people realize that the convention that produced the Constitution was the same kind of convention they are calling for today to fix the problems with our existing system; and the result was the abomination we live under now!

Who would attend such a convention? Certainly not the average citizen was getting screwed over by our current system of government; that’s for sure. More than likely it would be comprised of the same class of people who drafted our current Constitution; members of the Fortune 500; bankers, business executives; in other words, the same class of rich and powerful bastards who wrote the original Constitution in 1787. Do you honestly think that those kind of people are going to produce a document that is not designed to benefit them…at your expense? If so, you are beyond naïve; you’re a damned fool!

However, for the sake or argument, let’s say such a convention were to be held, and that it was comprised of your average working-class people. So what! Talk to your average working-class person, especially if they are in their 20’s or 30’s; see how much they know about the history of this country, or what the Constitution actually says. You’ll find that people know more about their favorite sporting team, or the life of their favorite celebrity, than they do about their system of government, or the history of this country.

This photo taken Nov. 20, 2013 shows bobblehead dolls representing Supreme Court Justices, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Go out on the street and ask the youth of this country who fought in the Civil War; when the American Revolution was fought, and who it was fought against; ask them to name a few of the specifically enumerated powers listed in the Constitution, or name more than 1 Supreme Court Justice. I dare you! So, even if a convention was comprised of your average working stiffs, what good would it do when they are so uninformed that they cannot tell you anything about the system as it exists now?

Then there is the fact that, even if we could get a group of liberty minded individuals to draft up amendments to improve/strengthen the limitations imposed upon government, you fact the problem of getting those amendments ratified. Do you honestly think that a people with the mindset and beliefs held by most today, would actually ratify limitations that took away government’s power to do the things they have come to expect from it?

Not likely; leaving us stuck right where we are now! The sad thing about it is, the longer we wait the more painful any solution we might come up with will be. Look at an addict. It is easy for someone who has just taken up smoking to quit. Yet ask someone who has been smoking for 30 years to quit; someone with a 2 pack a day habit. Americans, sadly, are government addicts; they would not know what to do with themselves without government; if they were made to accept complete and total responsibility for all their wants and needs. People get offended if you use the wrong pronoun to address them; do you honestly expect a society so de-humanized to be able to effectively manage their own lives? Good luck with that; half of them probably couldn’t change a flat tire on their car, let alone survive in a society where there was no safety net for their failures and inadequacies!

So, where does that leave us? It leaves us with a people with only 2 options. People can either do what I have done; stop believing that the system can be salvaged; that their votes can bring about any kind of meaningful change. If enough people do that, then we can start discussing what to do next; but that HAS TO BE the first step. Or, people can just go on doing what they’ve been doing; participating in an exercise in futility; until the bottom drops out and the shit hits the fan. One choice offers some hope; while the other maintains the status quo; which is the continued slide abject tyranny; accompanied by the complete and total loss of all your freedom. We’re almost there, so I do not imagine the end game is that far off in the distant future.

I know that there are some who have simply given up; who have grown so apathetic that they immerse themselves in other things so as not to be consumed by despair. That, to me, is foolish; for it will not protect them from what’s coming any more than an atheist’s belief that there is no God will protect them on Judgment Day. In both cases, reality is going to come up to them one day and slap them right across the face. Then they will wish they had listened sooner; but it will be too late; their fate will be sealed.

In the film, The Matrix, there is a scene when Neo first meets Morpheus, and Morpheus asks him if he believes in fate? Neo responds by saying no, that he does not like the idea that he is not in control. While I do not believe in fate either; I think where we end up is the result of the choices and decisions we make, I do not believe that we should be so arrogant to think that we, meager, humans, are in control. Oh, we like to think we are, but that is sheer arrogance on our part!

If you believe in God, if you have read your Bible, then you at least have some understanding that the end game has already been written; good will triumph over evil, and the faithful will be rewarded; with everyone else being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone; cut off from God’s presence for all eternity. What that means is that it is just a numbers game; how many are going to end up going to either place as their final destination.

What I don’t understand is how so many Christians are unable to see that we are not engaged in a war between conservatives and liberals, between one system of government over another; we are in a war between good and evil. Seeing as how our final destination is dependent upon the choices we make in life you would think that people would want to choose wisely. Yet people repeatedly choose government over their God…REPEATEDLY!

What does Article 6 of your precious Constitution say; or, do you even know? Clause 2 of Article 6 states, “This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” (My emphasis)

As Christians, God’s Word should be the supreme law of the land; not the words of 55 bankers, merchants, and speculators who sought to establish an earthly kingdom they would have control of. Yet for many, the Constitution has replaced Scripture as the law that people choose to obey; with the punishment government imposes upon those who disobey its edicts being what people fear; not the wrath of their God.

In the Book of Matthew, Christ states, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Yes, government can take away your things; it can throw you into prison; it can even gun you down with impunity, but it cannot take your soul. But, if you reject God, or deny Him because you are more afraid of what government will do to you, then you may be in for a bit of a surprise when you are rejected by Christ on Judgment Day; no matter how many times you went to church, or how much you threw into the collection plate.

I know there are those, many of them being pastors, who preach Romans 13 as justification for obeying whatever laws government enacts. I believe that they are misinterpreting Paul’s epistle to the Christians in Rome. The passages most frequently quoted are verses 1 & 2, which state, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

As stand-alone quotes those do sound like they say we should submit to whatever decrees government hands down. However, it is my belief that they are taken out of context. Verses 5 & 6 go a bit further in expanding upon the meaning of verses 1 & 2, “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”

This is where it gets a bit tricky, so pay attention. In verse 6 it states that he (your ruler) is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. If your ruler/s are ministers of God, then should they not be enforcing God’s Law; not their own? If they are ministers of God, then why does the document that gives them authority over you not mention God as the source of their authority? If they are ministers of God, then why did the framers of that document remove the requirement that those holding office take an oath of allegiance to God?

Our pastors, before they bowed down and chose 501 (c) (3) status over serving God, used to understand Paul’s intent. For instance, in 1749, Pastor Jonathan Mayhew conducted a sermon in which he stated, “Here the apostle argues the duty of paying taxes from this consideration, that those who perform the duty of rulers are continually attending upon the public welfare. But how does this argument conclude for paying taxes to such princes as are continually endeavoring to ruin the public, and especially when such payment would facilitate and promote this wicked design? Does this argument conclude for the duty of paying tribute, custom, reverence, honor, and obedience to such persons as, although they bear the title of rulers, use all their power to hurt and injure the public? ̶ such as are not God’s ministers, but Satan’s? such as do not take care of and attend to the public interest, but their own to the ruin of the public?”

There is more, but I think that gets the point across adequately. The point is, the rulers Paul was talking about in Romans 13 are those who rule justly; according to God’s Law; which in no way, shape, or form, resembles the government we have today.

The system of government that we have today is not a godly system; designed to serve and glorify God; to establish His kingdom upon earth; it is a system designed by man, with the express purpose of supplanting the will of God with the will of the people’s new god, ‘We the People’. It is a humanist system that rejects God as the supreme sovereign authority over all of mankind. Therefore, if the system rejects God, should we, as Christians, not reject the system? Did not Christ tell us, “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33) So, if you reject God’s Law for the laws of men, are you not rejecting God? Or, is that too complex a question for you?

I wonder if people are aware of the fact that, for nearly 3,000 years, from the time of the Creation until Samuel was born, God’s chosen people had no earthly rulers; God was their King. I can almost hear people’s thoughts; no rulers (government)? Who would write the laws; who would enforce them? Honestly, if you have to ask that question, you do not understand the omnipotent power of your God.

God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden. God told man not to eat of the tree containing the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. Man disobeyed God, and God punished man by casting him out of the garden; telling Eve that she shall bear children in sorrow, and telling Adam that the ground shall be cursed for his sake; for having listened to his mate rather than God.

When the people of Babel tried to build a tower that would reach unto heaven, God scattered the people across the face of the earth; confounding their language. When the people of Sodom and Gomorrah became so wicked that not one good man was found among them, God wiped them off the face of the earth with fire and brimstone. When man became so wicked, God chose Noah to build an ark so that He could flood the earth; killing off all of mankind.

So, do you honestly believe that God is incapable of punishing us for violating His Laws? But who wrote those laws Neal? Why God did. What do you think the 10 Commandments were; written by the finger of God Almighty? God gave those laws to Moses, and Moses was to ensure that the people understood, and obeyed them. However, the people were so numerous that Moses would spend entire days hearing the people when they sought to understand the law, or when they had complaints (grievances) with one another.

It was then that Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses told him that what he was doing was not good. He told Moses, “…thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” (Exodus 18:20-23)

That is a biblical form of government; God writes the laws, and God-fearing men are appointed to ensure the Law is carried out. Noah Webster, the father of American dictionaries, spoke often about biblical government. In one instance he stated, “When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, ‘just men who will rule in the fear of God.’ The preservation of [our] government depends on the faithful discharge of this Duty; if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded. If [our] government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine Commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the Laws.”

In another instance he wrote, “In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate — look at his character. It is alleged by men of loose principles, or defective views of the subject, that religion and morality are not necessary or important qualifications for political stations. But the scriptures teach a different doctrine. They direct that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, men of truth, hating covetousness. It is to the neglect of this rule that we must ascribe the multiplied frauds, breaches of trust, speculations and embezzlements of public property which astonish even ourselves; which tarnish the character of our country and which disgrace our government. When a citizen gives his vote to a man of known immorality, he abuses his civic responsibility; he not only sacrifices his own responsibility; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country.”

Tell me, do either of those quotes resemble what happens when people go to the polls to choose who will govern (rule) over them? Does our system of government even come close to resembling one that acts in accordance with God’s will? If you say yes, then how do you justify a government that has not made abortion a crime; for abortion is simply the termination of a life before it exits the womb. Call it a woman’s right to choose if you want, but all you’re saying is that woman has the right to choose whether or not to murder her unborn child. Do the 10 Commandments not say that thou shalt not murder? So, if abortion is murder, and your government allows this evil practice to exist, then your government is not acting in accordance with God’s will.

The same goes for homosexuality. Government does not openly say that it is moral; yet it does not say it is evil either. It even protects those who engage in this sinful behavior by censoring the speech of those who quote God’s Law; saying they are guilty of hate speech. People today have not only forsaken God’s Law, they are so mentally confused that they do not even know what gender they are anymore. God created man, and He created woman from the rib of man. He did not create non gender specific people; nor did He create people who identify as cats and dogs. Yet here we are with people doing all manner of things that are an abomination in the eyes of God; while government neglects to enforce God’s Law in regards to punishing those who violate His Law.

I have heard people ask why God would punish them if they are good Christians. Have you not read your Bibles? God often punished all of the people for the sins of a few. The Old Testament is full of the history of how the people turned away from God, and suffered for it. The people were made to wander 40 years in the desert for their sins against God; for having worshipped a graven image. The people were made to suffer exile for 70 years for their sins against God.

When Achen, the son of Carmi, took an accursed thing from the Babylonians, and hid it away in his tent, God punished the people by allowing their enemies to smite them in battle. Joshua rent his clothes and bowed down before God and asked why He had allowed this to happen. God responded by saying,

“Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.” (Joshua 7:10-15)

Yes, that sounds pretty harsh, but did not Christ say that if your hand or foot offends you, to cut it off; for it is better to go through life maimed than and be cast into everlasting fire? (Matthew 18:8)

I often hear, and I used to quote this myself, 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

I never gave much thought to the fact that God was using the word people collectively. I always thought that meant that if I was a good Christian, that God would bless me; while punishing those who did evil rather than obeying God’s Law. I now believe that, as long as evil exists among us, then we will ALL suffer; until we remove that evil from amongst us and return in humble supplication; asking for forgiveness for our sins. ONLY THEN can we obtain the blessing included in that passage.

We, and I’m speaking collectively, tolerate evil, some embrace it; saying that their pleasure is more important than what God commands of them. We have a system of government that, not only does not condemn evil, it protects those who engage in evil. Not only that, our government itself is guilty of evil beyond imagination. If you do not believe that, then have not done any research whatsoever into the crimes your government is guilty of.

So long as this evil persists among us, God will turn his back on us as a country. It is only on Judgment Day that people will be judged individually for how well they obeyed His commandments; followed in the teachings of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I stated in the beginning of this essay, the ending of our story as a species has already been written; all that matters now is whether you, as an individual, will be found among those who have remained faithful till the end.

Your government is not a Christian government, it is a government of men, by men, and for men. God has no place in this system of government, and therefore, as Christians, this government should have no place in your hearts, or your loyalty. If that costs you your life, so be it. Christ gave up His life for you, the least you could do is to return the favor by giving up yours because you refused to submit to evil.

Yet sadly these words will, for the most part, fall upon deaf ears. As I posted on Facebook yesterday, “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:10)

To that I would add, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20)

Those two passages alone do more to describe our current condition than anything I could say; so I’ll leave you to ponder these things in your hearts…

 

 

Neal Ross, Student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Send all comments to: [email protected].

If you liked Neal’s latest column, maybe you’ll like his latest booklet: The Civil War: (The Truth You Have Not Been Told). Life continues to expand for this prolific writer and guardian of TRUE American history.

 

 

federalobserver.com