"Handwriting On The Wall"

We often use the phrase, not remembering or knowing its origin.

While the passage of the healthcare bill fundamentally changes, or in the words of the President, "remakes" both the American economy and culture, the process and the methods used to pass it points to an even greater concern; The character flaw in the leadership of our country.

We have lost our way.

Sarah Palin wrote on TWITTER yesterday, "We will remember the corrupt deals, the corrupt process, the lack of transparency, the deceptive gimmicks to game the CBO score and the utter disregard for the will of the American people."

I sincerely hope we will. We must remember. And we must act.

But, is there handwriting on the wall?

If so, what is the message?

The origin of the phrase dates back to a wild party hosted by King Belshazzer, who in the spirit of the moment ordered the gold and silver goblets that his father Nebuchadnezzer had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem to be brought in and used by his drunken nobles, wives and mistresses. They continued their drunken orgy, using the goblets that had been set aside for higher purposes while praising the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

There were consequences.

During the perverted celebration, a hand was seen writing on the wall of the chamber, scribing a mysterious message.

Thus, "The handwriting on the wall."

In panic, the King called for counsel from mystics and those of many beliefs. In the end, a Hebrew gave him the interpretation.

This event was so profound and the conditions in Babylon so perverse that it continues to impact popular culture.

George Friderich Handel wrote an oratorio about it (Belshazzer), Lord Byron, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson wrote poems about it, James Gillray caricatured Napoleon in the role of Belshazzer and Johnny Cash wrote a song about it titled, "Belshazzer" (sic).

Cash's lyrics include, "Well, the people feasted and drank their wine and praised the false gods of his time, all holy things they scorned and mocked, But suddenly all their mocking stopped. For on the wall there appeared a hand, nothing else, there was no man, in blood the hand began to write: 'mene mene tekel upharsin'."

"He was weighed in the balance and found wanting, his kingdom was divided, couldn't stand, He was weighed in the balance and found wanting, his house was built upon the sand."

And there's more. You can Google the lyrics.

The message of the handwriting on the wall was interpreted by a Hebrew named Daniel:

Mene---to number; tekel---to weigh; upharsin---to divide.

Interpretation: "You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting."

It is a tragic story with an even more tragic ending. You can read it in both the Babylonian Talmud and in the Bible in Daniel chapter 5.

Has that message been written on the wall of America?

I don't believe it has. However, I do believe we are staggering toward destruction if we don't change our ways.

I am going to be very direct.

The double talking and misrepresentations of the healthcare bill and its passage certainly exposed a deeper level of corruption in government than many imagined.

The willingness of America to not only continue to kill unborn and unwanted babies and to greatly expand the practice with federal funds is not only barbaric, but is an affront to life and the Giver of life.

This practice is not a "choice". It is a celebratory orgy of rebellion against the Creator Himself and it desecrates that which was created for higher purposes.

And it will not continue without consequences.

I deeply appreciate all the efforts to push back this legislation that is economically unsustainable, undermines the foundations of our freedom and dismantles the best healthcare system in the world.

We will do everything humanly possible to work to reverse the consequences of this terrible legislation.

We must support these efforts. We must also work to change the leadership of our communities and our country as needed. And I believe we will.

There is a looming spiritual challenge and it must be addressed in spiritual terms.

America is slouching toward Gomorrah as we denigrate marriage, elevate and celebrate perversion calling it normal and redefine the most basic component of society---the family. A social unit created by God Himself.

Our country and culture is socially stoned on an overdose of perverted "tolerance" and "diversity".

The Judeo-Christian values and principles---the foundations of our freedoms, are being mocked, scorned and eroded while we worship the false gods of our time.

When we should be sounding the alarm? Many churches are silent on the very issues they should be addressing. While they "emerge" into a culture that is lost and desperately needs a moral compass, they become hardly discernible from the culture itself.

Pastors are often silenced on controversial biblical teachings by intimidation and the fear of being tagged as prejudiced or bigoted or simply not being "accepted" at Rotary.

Socrates said, "An unexamined life is not worth living."

If there is a blood message on the wall, and I believe there is, it must be a last call to our country to turn from our wicked ways. To repent. To honor marriage and family. To stop killing unborn babies. To elect leaders who will honor life and the Creator of life. Leaders who will protect, not destroy our freedoms and honor the Source of those freedoms.

Our culture is sick and we are in need of examining our lives, our motives and our actions.

God help us.

Thank you for your support. It allows us to continue.

______________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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