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In a voice and cadence that sounded, at times, like a prophet, President Obama told the people of North Carolina this week, "I hate to put a little pressure on you, but the fate of the Republic rests on your shoulders. The fate of the world is teetering."
In response, someone designed a TIME Magazine cover with the image of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton standing together, with the bold headline: "The End Is Near."
The message is well taken---but, of course, it means different things to different people.
TIME Magazine has a history of running cover stories that involve "The End..." of something.
"The End..." of Iraq (2014), "The End..." of Donald Trump (April 2016), "The End..." of Bin Laden, etc.
The TIME cover parody was clever---and thoughtful.
As Obama continued, he sounded a bit like his pastor of 20 years---Rev. Jeremiah Wright---as he warned of dire consequences ahead for America should we turn back to "the old paths," a.k.a., "our founding principles"---traditional biblical values.
He said, "What I can tell you is we can't afford a president who suggests that America should torture people, or that we should ban entire religions from our country," adding, "Imagine what you'll [Trump] do when you actually think you have the power to violate the Constitution..."
The irony is that America already knows what will happen when the president thinks he has "the power to violate the Constitution" and regularly tramples on it to advance his own far-Left progressive, globalist agenda.
Our eyes have seen natural marriage disrespected--trashed, as the most fundamental building block of human existence and sustainability. We have seen it be "redefined" to meet the demands of perverted activists---shaking their fist in the face of God Himself who created the institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman---an institution that has been honored by every successful civilization and every major religion in the history of the world and the human race.
This, with uninformed enablers holding up their fists---demonstrating their personal virtues.
We have seen the devaluing of life under the guise of "choice" and "women's health care." We have seen some 50 million unborn children "legally" killed and tossed in the dumpster---or, as we have recently learned, sold as body parts, because they were inconvenient or simply unwanted.
We see the so-called "Death with Dignity" movement beginning to celebrate the elderly or infirm who take their own life to avoid becoming a burden on their family. Assisted suicide is slowly but surely moving from "a right" to "a responsibility" in our "teetering world."
We have also seen "an entire religion banned from our country"...or at least our government's best effort to do so.
From our military to our public schools, to our businesses, to the public market---and now through so-called "anti-discrimination laws," to the pulpits of our churches, we have seen biblical Christianity assaulted---with every attempt to "ban" it from any meaningful public, and sometimes private, expression.
We have seen the consequences of Obamacare and half-baked foreign policies. We know why the Middle East is in meltdown today---and why America is mocked by third world countries.
The fate of the Republic does indeed rest on the shoulders of the people---not only of North Carolina---but every state in this union.
And yes, "The fate of the world is teetering."
Variety Magazine, one of the 2 most influential publications in the entertainment business, is reporting this week that "Hollywood is worried." They are experiencing the same worry that President Obama is experiencing. They are exploring what they can do in these final moments before a president is chosen.
Los Angeles Times journalist Steven Borowiec Tweeted yesterday, "I would rather see Donald Trump's life end." Following backlash, yesterday afternoon he deleted the tweet, saying it was a joke. The tweet is linked above.
Back in February, Ross Douthat with the New York Times also "joked" about wanting to see Trump dead.
Hillary Clinton herself is also feeling the possibility that her fate may be teetering. Her life-long dream of becoming the first woman president may be evaporating as a consequence of her own doing.
Julian Assange, the guy who is releasing all the Wikileaks emails, says, "I actually feel quite sorry for Hillary Clinton as a person, because I see someone who is eaten alive by their own ambitions, tormented literally to the point where they become sick---for example, faint---as a result of going on, and going with their ambitions"---referencing the incident where Hillary collapsed at the event in New York City this past September 11.
There is a gruesome, hard to read, but relevant story in the biblical book of Judges, chapter 19.
Give this some serious consideration.
The story begins with: "And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim..."
The story involves how this man took a mistress or concubine to himself, but the mistress "played the part of the harlot against him" and "went away to her father's house at Bethlehem."
The husband "went after her, to speak kindly to her and to bring her back..." After arriving at her father's house, the father persuaded the husband to stay several days longer than planned. On the journey home, the husband tried to carefully plan the safest route, which brought them to a town called Gibeah. (v 15) where they landed in the city square.
An old man sees them in the open city square, introduces himself to them and warns them not to stay in the square, and invites them to stay the night with him in his home.
(v 22) "As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door . They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, 'Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally'! "
The old man pleaded with them..."do not act so wickedly", offering them the concubine. The men objected, but finally took the woman, rather than the man they wanted, "And they knew her and abused her all night until morning, and when the daybreak they let her go."
(v 27) When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine fallen at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold."
She was dead---her hands gripping the threshold. She almost made it back to safety.
The husband was so grief stricken, he cut her body into 12 pieces and "sent them throughout all the territory of Israel."
It was his attempt to awaken a slumbering nation.
( v 30) "All who saw it said, No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up."
America has never seen a time like our times since our founding. Everything our nation has stood for is under attack, including God's moral order.
This is not about politics, it is about the survival of a nation---not the realization of a personal ambition.
Continuing to follow the biblical account, (ch. 20) when the nation was awakened to the reality of their culture and how far they had drifted from their values---what they had become, they took action and rose up against it.
Barack Obama is right. Our world, our nation "is teetering..."
All previous great civilizations have died clutching the threshold trying to save themselves from the consequences of their own making.
All were unable to do so.
America is different. It is exceptional in that it was birthed in a passion for liberty and from an abiding belief, not from ancient borders or bloodlines.
That abiding belief is that God, the God of the Bible, not government, grants human rights---the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
A belief that God intervenes in the affairs of men, to quote our Founders.
America need not die clutching the threshold---for 2 reasons.
1. The "fate" or future of this republic rests on our shoulders. We get to vote.
2. We have traditionally turned to God, not government and politicians to save us from our enemies, including self-destruction.
Pass this on to your friends and family.
Pray for America.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Blessed.