Although the generalization is usually applied to republics, according to Sir John Glubb, a British author and lecturer, most empires don’t last longer than 250 years.

Or as Sir John said in summation:

As numerous points of interest have arisen in the course of this essay, I close with a brief summary, to refresh the reader’s mind.

(a)We do not learn from history because our studies are brief and prejudiced.

(b) In a surprising manner, 250 years emerges as the average length of national greatness.

(c) This average has not varied for 3,000 years.

Does it represent ten generations?

(d) The stages of the rise and fall of great nations seem to be:

The Age of Pioneers (outburst)
The Age of Conquests
The Age of Commerce
The Age of Affluence
The Age of Intellect
The Age of Decadence.

(e) Decadence is marked by:

Defensiveness
Pessimism
Materialism
Frivolity
An influx of foreigners
The Welfare State
A weakening of religion.

(f) Decadence is due to:

Too long a period of wealth and power
Selfishness
Love of money
The loss of a sense of duty. (Sir John Glubb)

Does any of this sound familiar? In other words all empires rise and all empires fall. It is the luck of the draw or the happenstance of birth that situates us as spectators of the fall.

I know from experience, as the author of The Constitution Failed, that if you question the viability of the American experiment even the most humble participant in that experiment becomes indignant. As I have been asked repeatedly, “How can you say the Constitution failed? Don’t you mean we failed the Constitution?” This always elicits my response, “Is that a distinction without a difference?”

Since the declared and understood purpose to the writing and ratification of the Constitution was to create and sustain a limited government, and since We the People now face an unlimited government, I maintain we must face the painful reality that the Constitution has failed. With that failure, the experiment in individual liberty, personal freedom, and economic opportunity is hurtling towards a destination with destiny, as we become like all the other nations of the earth: a command economy with a permanent political class.

When did we start our slide from a limited government to a centrally-planned Leviathan masquerading as a utopian paradise? The experiment jumped the tracks under the second president. John Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Act and then used that act to arrest anyone who disagreed with him. This was not the beginning of our present slide into totalitarianism.

Abraham Lincoln waged total war against eleven States that sought to secede when the right to secede was not withheld from the states and the right to wage war against the States was not afforded to the Federal Government by the Constitution. He did, however, allow West Virginia to secede from Virginia without the approval of the Virginian government, which is explicitly contrary to the Constitution. This was not the beginning of our present slide into totalitarianism.

In the midst of the banking crisis of 1932-33, FDR told America, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” He should have told us that we had him and his Progressive agenda to fear—at least as far as the fundamental nature of the American Experiment was concerned.

Despite the fact that by 1932, the recovery from the crash of 1929 was well under way, as evidenced by freight loadings that rose 20 percent, industrial production that rose 21 percent, construction contract awards that gained 30 percent, unemployment that dropped by nearly one million, wholesale prices that rebounded by 20 percent, and the battered stock market that was up by 40 percent.

David Stockman goes so far as to say,

The Hoover recovery would be celebrated in the history books even today if it had not been interrupted in the winter of 1932-1933 by a faux banking crisis which was entirely the doing of President-elect Roosevelt and the loose-talking economic statist at the core of his transition team.

At that time the banking crisis, as it was loudly and universally called, had Americans fearing that the economy was about to collapse. This has been called the failure of capitalism. However, as David Stockman points out:

The truth of the so-called banking crisis is that the artificial economic boom of 1914-1929 had generated a drastic proliferation of banks in the farm country and in the booming new industrial centers like Chicago, Detroit, Youngtown and Toledo, along with vast amounts of poorly underwritten debt on real estate and businesses.

When the bubble burst in 1929, the financial system experienced the time-honored capitalist cure — a sweeping liquidation of bad debts and under-capitalized banks. Not only was this an unavoidable and healthy purge of economic rot, but also reflected the fact that the legions of banks which failed were flat-out insolvent and should have been closed.

How great was this meltdown? How many people lost everything in the bank failures? Was this a massive slide into a financial morass? As David Stockman summed it up,

Indeed, a single startling statistic puts paid to the whole New Deal mythology that FDR rescued the banking system after a veritable heart attack: to wit, losses at failed US banks during the entire 12-year period ending in 1932 amounted to only 2-3 percent of deposits. There never was a sweeping contagion of failure in the banking system.

Foreshadowing, President Obama’s first Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, said,

You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.

FDR used this crisis to forever change the very structure of American government. FDR didn’t introduce his sweeping changes in the dead of night. He campaigned on them. He said he would bring in a New Deal for all Americans, and he did. As his first inaugural speech ended, he laid his cards on the table,

It is to be hoped that the normal balance of executive and legislative authority may be wholly adequate to meet the unprecedented task before us. But it may be that an unprecedented demand and need for undelayed (sic) action may call for temporary departure from that normal balance of public procedure.

In these two sentences, the new president announced that if he deemed it necessary to upend the balance of powers, he would do so. He then threatened to do whatever he thought necessary in the 1933 version of President Obama’s “We can’t wait” proclamation. Instead of saying, “I have a pen and I have a phone,” FDR said,

But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis—broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.

Congress did not fight. They did not stand on their prerogatives as a co-equal branch. Instead, they knuckled under, and in 100 days, created an alphabet soup of federal agencies to control everything from soup to nuts. America began its dramatic descent from freedom and liberty to servitude and regulation. With FDR’s imagery of a war against an emergency, America found itself at war with a recession, which had already ended successfully, turning it into the Great Depression, which wouldn’t end for eight more years.

Since that time, we have declared war on poverty. Fifty years and several trillion dollars later, we have just as much poverty as before. We have declared war on drugs and hundreds of thousands of incarcerations, and, trillions of dollars later, the drug problem is worse than before. We have, of course, also been in either a hot or a cold war since 1941, and hundreds of thousands of lives and many trillions of dollars later, we have less security than we had before.

All of this has led to an erosion of our individual liberty, personal freedom, and economic opportunity. The balance of power has all but dissolved, as Congress ceded its power to the executive and the bureaucracy while nine Supreme Justices make all the final decisions.

The Constitution was written to set the foundations for how our nation should be ruled. The First Article of the Constitution established the Legislature, and most of the document deals with the Legislature—obviously, the most important part of our national government. The part that is closest to the people. Today, that body has transferred its power, and we are faced with an imperial presidency and a Supreme Court that has decreed itself to be the source and the summit of legitimacy.

John Locke, the inspiration of much that became our Constitution, said, in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, “The Legislative cannot transfer the Power of Making Laws to any other hands. For it being but a delegated Power from the People, they, who have it, cannot pass it over to others.”

Yet, this is what has happened, and this is why we are no longer forging ahead at the vanguard of humanity. We are, instead, rapidly becoming the source of raw materials and a market place for the goods of others: a colony in all but name. Or, as the saying goes, the borrower is slave to the lender.

Everywhere I go and everyone I speak with knows America is losing its edge, sliding down a Progressive rat hole into an over-regulated, shabby future in the dustbin of History. At the same time, everywhere I go and everyone I speak to says, “At least it won’t happen in my day, but I feel sorry for the generations coming after me.”

Why do empires fall? Because they think they won’t.

Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion. His books include; The Constitution Failed, The Azusa Street Revival, America Won the Vietnam War, and NEVER FORGET! You can follow Dr. Owens on Twitter and Facebook

© 2015 Dr. Robert Owens.com

Republican 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson recently made the assertion on a Iowa conservative radio show that the “purpose” behind Margaret Sanger’s founding of the abortion giant Planned Parenthood was to “eliminate black people,” and also questioned whether or not President Barack Obama realizes that.

While the 63-year-old retired neurosurgeon was going in and out of reception during his phone interview with radio host Jan Mickelson on WHO Radio in Des Moines, Mickelson played a clip of an Obama speech from last year where the president defended Planned Parenthood and even said “Thank you Planned Parenthood. God bless you.”

When Carson re-established cell phone connection, he was asked to comment on the president’s remarks.

You wonder if he actually knows the history of Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger, who was trying to eliminate black people…..That was the whole purpose of it.”

Mickelson then played an audio clip of 2016 Democratic frontrunner and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from 2009, when she was awarded the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award. In her acceptance speech, Clinton gave high praises to Sanger even though Sanger was known for advocating racist ideals. Clinton stated:

I admire Margaret Sanger enormously, her courage, her tenacity, her vision,…… I am really in awe of her.”

Mickelson responded by saying how hypocritical it is for people to destroy Confederate flags and Confederate tombstones but still continue to honor Sanger. Carson replied to the Clinton soundbite by stating that the soundbite will most surely be used against her in the general election, no matter who the Republican nominee turns out to be. Carson further argued:

I am delighted to have her saying that on tape because if I am a nominee and we are in the race, believe me that quotation that she just said will come back and it will be in a context that people can understand,…..She has done us a great favor right there … That is a ticking time bomb and of course, her whole relationship with Saul Alinsky.

In the wake of the media explosion surrounding the revelation that Planned Parenthood is bartering aborted babies’ body parts, Mickelson played a clip of MSNBC hosts defending Planned Parenthood by comparing its selling of babies’ body parts to donating body parts to science. In response, Carson said that society has gotten so “desensitized” to the destruction of life that it is no longer appalled by such heinous revelations.

We have reached a time where people are so desensitized where they are not horrified by this kind of activity,…..We’ve allowed the secular progressive movement to [desensitize society] to the point where things are no longer wrong.”

Carson stated that the pro-life movement should see the recent Planned Parenthood revelation as a “smoking gun” to push for the defunding of the leading abortion company, which receives about $500 million in taxpayer funding each year. Carson went on to contend that:

If we can’t defund Planned Parenthood after this, we are lost. We are just in the wilderness forever. I think the appropriate response is to focus our attention on it because they will try to divert the attention and move on to something else and we cannot allow that to happen,…..This is the smoking gun and we have always known what kind of organization this is and how anti-life they are and we can also use this to help women understand that they are being manipulated…..They are being told that ‘if you can’t kill your baby, then somebody is against you.’ When in fact, the woman is the protector of that baby,”  “This is one of the sacred relationships of humanity.”

As liberals consistently make the claim that conservatives “are on the wrong side of history” on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and Obamacare, Carson explained that the notion is an “Alinsky tactic” used by those trying to silence the opposition.

They love to put the narrative out in such a way that you think it is a done deal so that you will settle down and accept it. We absolutely cannot do that,” That is why [Benjamin] Franklin and [Thomas] Jefferson were so adamant about the fact that our freedom and our way of life is dependent upon an informed and educated populous and if it is not you can pull wool over their eyes and that is what a lot of people have been doing.”

Source, Christian Post via Watchman Research Media

America, like most nations, is not mentioned specifically by name anywhere in Scripture. But many Bible prophecy teachers believe that America’s role in the last days is mentioned, although the exact name America is not given.

Others hold the view that America is the world base for trade and economy; therefore it is the Mystery Babylon that heads up world trade. Others say it is the ancient Tarshish, whereas others claim Americans are the lost ten tribes of Israel. Let’s briefly evaluate some of the common views given by prophecy teachers. The first one is:

The Mystery of Babylon 

Some have interpreted this to be a direct reference to the Babylon the Great. Jeremiah calls her the least of the nations. They say America has a mother who was directly responsible for her birth, and that nation is England who has been described as the mother of Babylon the Great:

Your mother shall be deeply ashamed; she who bore you shall be ashamed. Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land and a desert (Jeremiah 50:12).

Daniel refers to her as a Lion which is national symbol of England. The ancient prophecies describe a system called Mystery Babylon as leading trade and religion. The religious base for the World Church is no doubt the city of 7 hills—Rome-Mystery Babylon—Religion. Within this area lies the sovereign state-the Vatican.

Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:9, 18).

There are at least twenty five particular characteristics between Babylon in Jeremiah 50-51 and Revelation 18. But does this apply to America?

1. The youngest of the nations—Jeremiah 50:12
2. Born from a mother country (which was Britain for the U.S.)–Jeremiah 50:12
3. A mighty military and political power—Jeremiah 50:23
4. An arrogant, proud, and haughty nation—Jeremiah 50:31
5. People of foreign descent—Jeremiah 50:37
6. Covetousness reigns as the people live sumptuously, but want more while many in the world are starving—Jeremiah 50:38
7. A nation with a Godly heritage—Jeremiah 51:7
8. A nation of great wealth and prosperity—Jeremiah 51:13
9. Great attainments—Jeremiah 51:53
10. Space travelers –Jeremiah 51:53
11. A home for the cults and occult practices—Revelation 18:2
12. Worldwide immorality –Revelation 18:2
13. Large in foreign aid—Revelation 18:3
14. Large importers to satisfy the lust of the people—Revelation 18:3
15. Center of Christianity –Revelation 18:4
16. Excessive crime, sexual permissiveness, homosexual freedom, decadence of marriage vows, etc—Revelation 18:5
17. Proud and boastful people—Revelation 8:7
18. Other countries’ economic strength depends on her economic strength–Revelation 18:9-10
19. World Trade Center—Revelation 18:11-13
20. Extravagant tastes—Revelation 18:14
21. Nation of influential cities—Revelation 18:18
22. Nation known for her music—Revelation 18:22
23. Nation known for her crafts (manufacturing capabilities)—Revelation 18:22
24. Nation known for her food production —Revelation 18:22
25. Her businessmen and great corporations are known world-wide—Revelation 18:23

To support their conclusion, some Bible teachers claim that Mystery Babylon’s trading centre is the United States of America and Wall Street in New York City in particular. What are God’s plans for this city? The answer given is found in Revelation 18:9-10, 15-17, 21, & Revelation 14:8

The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come……The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every ship master, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance…Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore……And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (Revelation 18:4).

Pastor Dimitru Duduman

The Romanian pastor Dimitru Duduman came to America from Communist Romania. He spoke no English and his prophetic messages regarding America were interpreted by his English-speaking grandson.

According to author Price John, God showed Duduman what America would encounter in its future if it didn’t repent and turn back to Him. He saw America’s cities burning, its people shooting each other and widespread death.

In his many thousand sermons preached across America, based on his message of the coming trouble, interpreted by his English-speaking grandson, he started each by saying: “It will begin with an internal revolution – started by the Communists.” You can watch one of his sermons below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SgakwldbxU]

Duduman subsequently wrote a book titled Through the Fire Without Burning, and he is quoted to have said that the “The Heavenly messenger showed him all of California, Las Vegas, New York and Florida,–this is Sodom and Gomorrah! All of this will burn in one day.” Here John Price continues:

His words were consistent with Jeremiah’s description of roaring young lions in the Daughter of Babylon. Whether caused by allegations of voter fraud and stolen elections, perceived racial injustice, Occupation protestors, bank closings, the collapse of the dollar, shortage of food or some other triggering event, America could quickly erupt in violence, even revolution, in its streets. Americans own millions of firearms. Its government (Department of Homeland Security) recently confirmed that it is buying two billion hollow point bullets, which are prohibited in warfare and not used in target practice. How far is America from Jeremiah’s warnings of “violence in the land and of ruler against ruler?

Mark Hitchcock, author of The Late Great United States rejects the view that America is Mystery Babylon. He writes,

While there could be a few interesting parallels between Babylon and New York City, I don’t believe this is the best view.

Why? Mark reasons that Babylon in Revelation 17-18 refers to a literal rebuilt city of Babylon in modern-day Iraq on the Euphrates River, which God will destroy at the end of the Tribulation.

……While it is possible that the name Babylon is a code name for Rome, New York, Jerusalem, or some other city, the test contains no indication that the name is meant to taken figuratively or symbolically. A literal Babylon is the best interpretation. Babylon is the most-mentioned city in the Bible, other than Jerusalem. It is mentioned about three hundred times in Scripture, and it is consistently pictured as the epitome of evil and rebellion against God. Babylon is Satan’s capital city on earth.

1. Babylon is the city where people first began to worship themselves in organized rebellion against God (Genesis 11:1-11).
2. Babylon was the capital city of the first world ruler, Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10; 11:9).
3. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC.
4. Babylon was the capital city of the first of four Gentile world empires to rule over Jerusalem.

Since Babylon was the capital city of the first world ruler and is pictured as Satan’s capital city on earth throughout Scripture, it makes sense that in the end times he will once again raise up this city as the capital of the final world ruler.

This city according to Mark Hitchcock will be rebuilt in the last days to serve as the religious and commercial capital for the antichrist’s empire. Wickedness will return to this place for its final stand…. The rise of Iraq in recent years on the world political and economic scene by its huge oil revenues, is not accident….The current rebuilding and rise of Babylon in modern Iraq may be a key part of God’s plan for the end times.

Dr. David Reagan also contends that the United States is not a fulfillment of Revelation 18: He explains:

There is no doubt that the United States shares many similarities with the corrupt commercial empire depicted in this chapter. The empire is described as one that is in rebellion against God, to the point that it has become “a dwelling place of demons” (Revelation 18:2). It further states that the immorality of this empire has corrupted all the nations of the world. (Revelation 18:3) It is also made clear that this “Babylon the Great” will completely dominate the world economy, and its destruction will result in the collapse of the economies of all nations (verse 9, 11, 17). In the present international context, it certainly sounds like the United States. But, again, the Bible in Revelation 17:9 tells us that seven heads of the beast (the antichrist) are representative, in part, of “seven mountains.”

In the first century context, this could only be a reference to Rome, for it is known as “the city of seven hills.” This identification is further reinforced by verse 18 which states that the woman riding the beast “is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”Again, there is only one city that could fit that description in the first century context of the passage, and that is Rome.

This is not United States that is fulfilling Revelation 18. The Revelation chapter is describing the last Gentile world empire that will dominate the earth at the time of the Lord’s Second Coming. It is the empire of the antichrist.

What Will be the Final Fate of America?

The Bible is silent…. The possible scenarios are likely to be economic collapse, the rapture of the Church due to the many born again Christians who are more than any other nation in the world, destruction from a Russian nuclear attack, internal terrorist attack similar to the one on 9/11, dirty bombs, and the internal collapse due to the moral collapse as America has forgotten its Biblical Christian heritage.

However in my study, I have discovered a consensus and predominant view among prophecy biblical scholars that in the end times America might be absorbed into the Revived Roman Empire, thereby becoming a part of the end-time Western confederacy of nations, which means America will no longer be the leader of nations, but it will be part of the European Union poised to lead the Western world.

This seems only natural in view of all the historic and cultural ties America has with Europe. For instance, in 1782 J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, in Letters from an American Farmer wrote:

Whence came all these people? They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes… What, then, is the American, this new man? He is neither a European nor the descendant of a European; hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. . . . The Americans were once scattered all over Europe; here they are incorporated into one of the finest systems of population which has ever appeared.

Is America and Britain the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?

Another common view is what some have termed as British Israelism, which the belief that many of the world’s English–speaking peoples like the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, are direct descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel, and since God looks kindly upon the descendants of Israel, therefore those who claim this relationship often believe that they are favored by God.

Those that hold this view believe that this is the main reason why they’ve come to possess the richest portions of earthly wealth. Most of these people who believe in British Israelism maintain that when the Assyrians conquered Samaria, Israel’s capital in 721 BC, the northern tribes of Israel were captured and enslaved by the Assyrians.

So these northern tribes never returned from their captivity and they contend that these “the ten lost tribes” of Israel made their way to Northern Europe, the British islands and some migrated as far as North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and around the world.

These theological doctrines and teachings have been attributed to Mr. Herbert M. Armstrong (1892- 1986) founder of Worldwide Church of God who taught that the people of the United States, the British Commonwealth nations, and European northwestern nations are the lost ten tribes of Israel. His interpretation is very complicated and tedious and he concludes that England descended from Ephraim and the United States from Manasseh.

Some prophecy teachers reject his interpretation and have claimed that he takes passage after passage out of context. Again Mark Hitchcock rightly notes:

The northern tribes have been not been lost. Many of them have been dispersed, but not lost. God knows where every man, woman, and child of them is located. Those who doubt that God will literally appoint 144,000 Jewish males during the end times are lacking a biblical view of God. (See Revelation 7:4-7) Even though tribal identities may be forgotten by mankind, God has never lost track of them—who or where they are. And in our time we are witnessing the initial stages of the final re-gathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland…These ten tribes are not, nor have they ever been lost. And they are not in any way related to the United States. The United States is not the ten lost tribes of Israel, nor the tribe of Manasseh. Israel is still Israel and will fulfill its central role in the events of the end times, just as the Bible predicts.

What about the Tarshish View?

According to some interpreters Tarshish is a cryptic hidden reference to England and her young cubs are America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa etc. The eagle wings on top of the lion has been described as America her daughter. America’s national symbol is the Eagle with outstretched wings. The prophet Ezekiel also describes it as Tarshish who give births to “young lions or cubs.”

Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder (Ezekiel 38:13)?

But the problem with this interpretation is no one knows the true identity of Tarshish. It could be one of any number of Phoenicia’s western ports where Jonah bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3) The major Phoenician cities were on the coastline of the Mediterranean.

It was a trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550 BC to 300 BC. Other archeologists indicate that Tarshish was most likely ancient Tartessus. It prospered from trade with the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, and it was probably destroyed by the Carthaginians around 500 B.C.

The exact site of the town is not known, but archeological evidence suggests it may have been near present-day Sevilla in Spain. But apart from that Tarshish is used in Scripture as a symbol of the areas west of Israel. Therefore, the most likely interpretation of Ezekiel’s scripture is that the nations of Western Europe will speak out against the prophesied Russia-led invasion of Israel in the end times.

We should study the Scriptures

We’ve seen some of the arguments and interpretations in prophecy, concerning the greatest nation in history. I think we should all be open minded and be like the Berean believers who searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth (Acts 17:10-11). Let us study the Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to us and then draw our own conclusions.

Regardless of the true identity of Babylon, it will still be destroyed in one hour as the Bible predicts in Revelation 18:8-10. Therefore regardless of America’s final destiny, our hope as believers is in Jesus Christ who promised never to forsake us no matter what we face.

Why has the United States pursued a foreign policy which has destabilized the Middle East? Why are we supporting the opposition (and even ISIS behind the scenes) in the war in Syria? Why are we continuing to build US military bases around the region, in preparation for an expanded conflict with Syria’s major ally, Iran? And why are Russia and China dead set on stopping us? Most importantly, why is this happening now?

The answer is the same reason why we invaded Iraq in the early part of this new century. The truth is, over the last two decades, US military and foreign policy has always been focused on one thing – oil, and retaining US control over the last remaining super reserves in the Middle East. The final act in this plan, the toppling of Assad and then Iran, would give us a lock on the Middle East and control of the world’s oil.

One of the truths which has been successfully hidden from the American public is we never really left Iraq; we merely replaced the US military with corporate mercenary forces, who now operate behind the scenes overseeing the Iraqi oil fields. So why are we going for the oil?

The answer is quite simple. Peak oil is a reality, for the era of cheap oil is over, and the US Empire is broke. The dollar is nearing the end of its reign as the world’s reserve currency, and is ready to tumble, but if we can grab control of the oil, we can assure the dollar remains the currency for global oil sales and thus the world’s reserve currency as well. If we lose control over the Persian Gulf, we will lose the petro-dollar, and then we lose the economic might which supports the US military budget, which itself exceeds, all other nations combined.

Empire USA exists only as long as we retain the ability to print dollars with impunity, without impacting currency exchange rates. If the dollar were to fall, our trade deficit would explode, because much of our imports are actually inelastic as to price. Our demand for imported oil or the parts which run our foreign auto and truck fleets, or the electronics we use in our modern society, even the chips for our smart bombs, they are all imported now. We would have to continue these imports even if prices rose as the dollar fell.

Today, we painlessly finance our structural federal budget deficits on the backs of our trading partners, through the trade deficit. The dollars we export through the trade deficit must be re-circulated back into the US financial markets, and thus are invested in US Treasury debt, to finance the American dream.

If the petro-dollar were lost and the dollar devalued, given the size of our trade deficit, and the short term character of our outstanding federal debt (which must be rolled over every three to four years), we would have to raise interest rates to attract foreign investors. If interest rates were to rise, the US economy would sink like the Titanic. The federal deficit is $18 trillion today, with $12.8 trillion held by third parties.

This debt is financed with near zero interest rates at an annual cost of $231 billion.[1] The average interest rate on this debt is only 1.8%. If the dollar were to be devalued, US interest rates will be forced higher, and then the federal deficit would explode. At 5% interest, the debt service or interest costs would jump to $640 billion, adding $410 billion to the annual budget deficit. At 10%, the debt service rises to $1.3 trillion, adding a cool $1.1 trillion to the annual deficit.

Interest rates at 5% or even approaching 10% may seem ridiculous in terms of today’s zero interest rate policies, but interest rates between these levels were quite common in normal economic times. In the event of a devaluation of the dollar, actual interest rates could go far higher. In the last major currency crisis in the US, in the early 1980’s when Paul Volcker whipped inflation, US interest rates approached 14% on federal bonds.

Beyond the impact on the federal budget, if rates were to rise, the stock and bond markets would also crash. These markets rest on valuations which are pegged or hinged to interest rates. As rates move higher, the value of US stocks and bonds fall, as the present value of these securities is a mathematical formulation based on only one key variable – interest rates. Now you understand why the US Federal Reserve can no longer raise interest rates.

The Russians know all of this as well. If they allow the US to seize control of the oil region, they concede control over the largest supply of the most valuable resource in the world, and for them, that means game over. Our military technology is leaving them in the dust on a conventional battle field, so if they wait, and watch us take control over the balance of the Mid East, it’s over, and they missed the perfect window of opportunity.

ISIS, Ukraine, Iraq, Iran and Syria are all battles for control of the world’s oil, and if the Russians and Chinese don’t fight us now, through proxy forces in these wars, they will be unable to confront us later, directly. If we take down Iran and Syria, and insert pro-western puppet governments controlled by corporate mercenaries, there will be no further wars required. And thus there may be no chance to fight the US via proxy.

The other reason the communist powers intend to confront us in the near future, is our vulnerability has never been as great. The financial position of the US is tottering; the fiscal deficits are now structural, and compounded with our massive trade deficits, they are the Achilles heel of our empire.

If they hand us a military defeat in the Middle East, or inflict a devastating attack on the mainland through what will appear to be Islamic terrorist attacks, our allies in the gulf will run for cover, and the dollar as a reserve currency will be over.

The domestic economy will then be reduced to ruins, our ability to project military power around the world will become severely degraded and our position as the world’s sole super power compromised. Thus the window of vulnerability has never been more open than it is now.

Why do the communists want to challenge US dominance in the first place? Simple, they want to eliminate American power so they can force the Europeans to negotiate a bi-polar sharing of power under the New World Order which is coming – and it will rise quickly following the war.

The communists DO NOT want a direct fight with us, at least not at first; we would do too much damage if we faced them off directly. So they will let the crazy, hash smoking, Allah man do the job, while behind the scenes, their Special Forces units will detonate a few suitcase sized nuclear bombs in our cities. From that point on, everything will happen very quickly. First “ka boom” and then we will all be told to blame the Allah man. And what do the Russians or Chinese care if we take out Iran in response, and maybe Damascus too, or we get the Israelis to do it. They lose a pawn but win the Queen of Nations.

Most people don’t understand the truth behind the news, because they haven’t done the research to get to the truth. They don’t understand the military balance of power; nor do they realize the depletion consequences of the Saudi oil fields. One of the largest oil discoveries in the world in the last 50 years, off Brazil a few years ago, will supply only eleven days of global consumption. With China and India industrializing, global demand is projected to grow from 85mm barrels per day (BPD) to 120mm BDP in the next 20 years.

Peak oil depletion assures us, we can’t match that demand, so which nation will agree to voluntary rationing and turning off 25% of their lights, cars, industry and going back to the technology of the 1800’s? None of them; the world will fight over these resources. That is why we invaded Iraq in the first place.

Peak oil is real and you can forget about alternative energy solving this problem; that would be like trying to bail out the Titanic with a paper cup. These technologies are in no way scalable to the size required to impact the problem of depleting petroleum reserves, and you can’t make synthetics with solar power anymore than you can fuel tanks and jets with the wind.

And the thought that the massive US reserves of the Bakken fields will save us is sophomoric; the geology prohibits any major increases in production, and the depletion rates burn out each well within two to three years. What about shale oil? That is also a sad joke; we don’t have the fresh water, or natural gas to dramatically increase production, and the ecological damage from this energy source ruins the environment. So the American centered world which we have known since 1945 really is over… get ready for the show of a lifetime. It really is this simple: here are the key fundamental economic issues facing the US.

1. The federal debt is $18 trillion headed to $20 trillion in three more years.
2. At 5% interest rates, which are low in historical terms, the debt service begins to dominate the entire budget.
3. The near zero nominal interest rates are below the rate of inflation, whether you count real inflation or the much lower official inflation rates.
4. Real interest rates are therefore very negative.
5. The US is the largest debtor in the world and it continues to run massive structural trade deficits of $500 billion or more.
6. The US pays no real interest on its debt, and makes no real payments to its trading partners, other than exporting more printed greenbacks in the form of more US debt.
7. The only thing keeping this Ponzi scheme going is the fact our trading partners (OPEC, Saudi, China, Japan, et al) are still accepting dollars at the moment.
8. The only reason they agreed to play this game in the first place, is US military power guaranteed support for their regimes.
9. In the early years, the inflation cost of this scheme, which was born by our trading partners, was actually quite low, (2 to 3%), and it was considered a small subsidy paid by OPEC for the cost of the US policing their region, and ensuring stability of the existing regimes.
10. As US economic power has eroded, and our budget deficits have exploded, the costs and risks of this game have now become quite high.
11. As the US has also abandoned numerous long time allies in the region, the trust we once had with our trading partners and allies is all but gone.
12. All of the players are now quietly trying to get out of the dollar as fast as possible.
13. Most of these players have acknowledged publicly that this game has been going on way past its real life expectancy, and they are all planning leaving at some point soon.
14. Everyone in the world knows this is about over, except the Americans.

The nations are all planning for the next war, which is coming, and when it comes, it will start with a massive terrorist strike on US soil. The dollar will then be abandoned by OPEC, and its value will begin to fall. If the war turns against the US, (a likely risk and a topic of a future article), the dollar will fall to the same level as the original Continental currency of the United States, which became worthless. You may remember the saying, “Not worth more than a continental.”

To find more information on the world’s march towards World War III, look for the author’s first book, The Day of the LORD is at Hand, 7th Edition.

President John F. Kennedy warned America on April 27, 1961, and the days he warned us of are about here:

Tonight, I want to talk about our common responsibilities in the face of a common danger. The events of recent weeks may have helped to ILLUMINATE (ed. note-Illuminati reference) that challenge for some; but the dimensions of its threat have loomed large on the horizon for many years. Whatever our hopes may be for the future — for reducing this threat or living with it — there is no escaping either the gravity or the totality of its challenge to our survival and to our security — a challenge that confronts us in unaccustomed ways in every sphere of human activity…

For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence — on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations…

Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match…”[2]

JFK was speaking about what he called the “Gnomes of Zurich”. He was specifically referring to the banksters, the NWO and the enemy of humanity as a whole. These gnomes are planning to use the Russians to bring about the complete destruction of the United States, and then, they will lift up, their New World Order.

Footnotes:

1. CBO’s Projection of Federal Interest Payments.Federal debt held by the public will reach about $12.8 trillion by the end of this fiscal year, an amount that equals 74 percent of the nation’s total output (gross domestic product, or GDP) this year. If current laws generally remained unchanged—the assumption that underlies CBO’s baseline projections—CBO projects that such debt would climb to $20.6 trillion, or 77 percent of GDP, in 2024. Interest payments on that debt represent a large and rapidly growing expense of the federal government. CBO’s baseline shows net interest payments more than tripling under current law, climbing from $231 billion in 2014, or 1.3 percent of GDP, to $799 billion in 2024, or 3.0 percent of GDP—the highest ratio since 1996. The rising debt accounts for some of that increase, but much of it stems from CBO’s expectation that—largely owing to the improving economy—the average interest rate paid on that debt will more than double over the next 10 years, from 1.8 percent in 2014 to 3.9 percent in 2024. (Although interest rates are projected to rise sharply, CBO’s current projections of those rates are lower than its projections earlier in the year, reflecting the agency’s reassessment of the factors influencing real interest rates.) September 3, 2014
2. The Powewr Hour: JFK Speech Transcript

© 2015 Benjamin Baruch – All Rights Reserved

Website: BenjaminBaruch.net

 Benjamin Baruch, July 18, 2015 NewsWithViews.com

The prophet Daniel served under the Babylonian and Medo-Persian rulers. He was taken as a hostage from Jerusalem in 605 B.C. to the Babylonian court. Daniel was promoted to a position of high responsibility after interpreting Nebuchadnezzar dream which consisted of an image made up of different metals which Daniel interprets in Daniel 2:31-45.

The four metals in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented four great successive empires that would rule the known world during the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to the return of Christ at the end of the age. All four empires have appeared in succession during the last centuries and in the exact order predicted by Daniel.

They were: (1) Babylon (2) Medo-Persia (3) Greece under Alexander (4) Rome. The Roman Empire was divided into two empires, and then after some time, Daniel described the ten toes which represent one view that has been more prevalent among Christian scholars—that is a confederacy made up of largely European nations.

And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall subdue and put down three kings. (Daniel 7:24)

After the death of king Nebuchadnezzar around 562 B.C., Daniel received a vision of four great beasts which correlated with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of four beasts which arise from the sea. (Daniel 7:1-28) The beasts represented the rise and fall of four great Gentile empires that would rule and dominate the known world for thousands of years.

The Babylonian Empire-The First Beast: A Lion with eagles wings

Daniel’s vision of the first beast symbolized the Babylonian Empire. The lion with eagles’ wings represents Babylon because of its swift and fast conquests and according to some scholars statues of winged ions have been recovered from the ruins of Babylon. This is how Daniel described it:

The first the Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar was like a lion and had eagle’s wings. I looked till the wings of it were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand upon two feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. (Daniel 7:4 AMP)

Archeologists have noted that beasts were depicted on the walls of ancient Babylon and today many stone sculptures and symbols can be found with lions and eagle’s wings representing rapid action and military conquest.

In fact other powerful nations have of the world have usually chosen images of beasts as their national symbols: Great Britain, the lion; the United States, the eagle; Austria, the double-headed eagle; Greece, the leopard; Russia, the bear, and Italy the wolf.

The Medo-Persian Empire-The Second Beast: A Bear

Daniel’s vision of the second empire included was represented by a bear, which is swift and powerful. The Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon and every other kingdom. The empire according to Daniel’s vision was much stronger in one portion of Medo-Persian kingdom. According to historians this region of the empire was the most aggressive and dominant region. The three ribs in the bear’s mouth represent the conquests of three major enemies which were Libya, Babylon, and Egypt.

And behold another beast, a second one the Medo-Persian Empire, was like a bear, and it raised up itself on one side [or one dominion] and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, Arise, devour much flesh. (Daniel 7:5)

The Greek Empire-The Third Beast: A Leopard with Four wings and Four heads

The Greek Empire which symbolized the leopard with its wings show the swiftness of Alexander the Great’s ability to conquer much of the civilized world in just four years (334-330 B.C.) Historians tell us that when Alexander the Great, discovered there were no more lands to conquer, he sat down and wept.

So the four heads of the leopard represent the four divisions of the Greek Empire after Alexander’s death. These four kingdoms were ruled by the four generals because Alexander died without an heir to his throne. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was identified as the brass belly and hips of the great metallic image. (See Daniel 2)

After this I looked, and behold, another Grecian empire of Alexander the Great, like a leopard which had four wings of a bird on its back. The beast had also four heads (Alexander’s generals, his successors, and dominion was given to it.) (Daniel 7:6)

The Roman Empire-The Fourth Beast: Iron Teeth and Ten Horns

The fourth beast that Daniel saw points to the last Roman Empire that will come to power in the end times. It will be ruthless in its power and would devour every nation that resists it. Daniel’s vision of this fourth kingdom corresponds with the iron legs in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the metallic image as described in chapter 2 of Daniel.

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast [the Roman Empire]–terrible, powerful and dreadful, and exceedingly strong. And it had great iron teeth; it devoured and crushed and trampled what was left with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns [symbolizing ten kings] I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:7-8)

Many Bible scholars believe that the horns represent 10 kings who will reign shortly before God sets up his everlasting Kingdom. These 10 kings had still not come to power at the time of John’s vision recorded in the Book of Revelation:

Also the ten horns that you observed are ten rulers (kings) who have as yet received no royal dominion, but together they are to receive power and authority as rulers for a single hour, along with the beast. (Revelation 17:12)

Daniel describes another little horn that appeared among them who would most likely be the future antichrist. Because the Bible interprets itself, Paul himself writes,

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

Most likely these other ten kings will be the ten rulers who will rule under the anti-Christ. Daniel again describes them in verse 24: And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall subdue and put down three kings.

The vision of the four beasts is similar to the dream of the image that God gave to king Nebuchadnezzar. This vision of the four beasts reveals the same sequence except for some notable differences:

1. Whereas Nebuchadnezzar’s dream focused mainly on the military and political power of these empires, Daniel’s vision depicted the moral, greedy, and violent character of these nations.
2. Daniel is told that all four beasts shall arise in the future so the first cannot be Babylon, which has ceased to exist.
3. The four beasts cannot be the Babylonians, the Greeks, Persians or Romans. Why? Because we are told the first three beasts will still be around when the fourth appears.

What would be the right interpretation of these beasts? Some speculate that the lion with wings is the USA and the UK, the bear is Russia and the leopard is the Arab world. Prophecy and Bible teacher Irvin Baxter tells us:

By examining this prophecy, we know this vision of the ten-horned beast hasn’t come to full fruition and that the other beasts represent nations that already exist.

1. Daniel’s lion = England, whose coat of arms carries three lions. The eagle’s wings removed from the lion represent the United States, which we know separated from England during the American Revolution.
2. Daniel’s bear = Russia, whose national symbol is a bear.
3. Daniel’s leopard = Germany, whose Leopard tanks have been used predominantly in European armies since their introduction in the 1960s.
4. We can understand the four heads of this leopard by remembering that Germany’s Third Reich historically attempted to gain world dominion during World War II, and that the Fourth Reich is emerging in our time.
5. The leopard Daniel saw also had bird’s wings, which represent France and its national symbol of a rooster. France and Germany have not only collaborated on the design of Leopard tanks, but both countries are also founding members of the European Union.

But what is the fourth beast? It must be some form of world government, the last kingdom to be established upon the Earth. In Revelation 13:1-2, the Apostle John depicts Daniel’s four beasts again, now combined into one: a beast that is part leopard, part bear, and part lion, with ten horns.

Daniel’s conglomerate beast = a world-dominating kingdom that will include Germany, Russia, and England. Since Daniel sees that the leopard is given dominion, we may also surmise that Germany will be the dominant nation in this world government. The new horn that emerges and dominates three others tells us this government will be controlled by the Antichrist.

As Daniel’s vision continued he also saw a figure like a Son of man, Jesus Christ coming with the clouds of heaven to reign with the saints of the Most High. His Kingdom is above every other kingdom that will arrive and conquer all these kingdoms.

Ultimately the Son of Man will replace all the kingdoms of this world and establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth and we shall reign with Him forever and ever:

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions shall serve and obey Him. (Daniel 7:27)

All these prophecies are given to us not only so we can understand our times, but so we can know the future and be ready to be part of God’s plan by doing exploits, endure suffering and tribulation, resist evil and finally find rest in Jesus Christ.

Amplified Bible Footnotes: Notice that the four beasts of this seventh chapter of Daniel symbolize the same world kingdoms that were pictured by the images in Dan. 2, and the ten horns of the last beast correspond to the ten toes of the legs of iron (Dan. 2:41-42)…….The individual child of God is challenged as never before in the world’s history to let go of the trivial and the transient, and to yield himself unreservedly to Him Who is coming back to fulfill the longings of every true believer—forever and ever!

Source of Image

King Nebuchadnezzar’s life teaches us one lesson: God is sovereign. He limits the power and authority of all governments and empires. Those who live in luxury, self-indulgence, and freedom find this very difficult to understand much less to believe. Nebuchadnezzar thought of himself as a god and was persuaded to build a gold statue that all were to worship. He robbed people’s lives, took their lands and controlled them.

He had married a beautiful princess from the mountains of Persia, which is modern-day Tehran, the capital of Iran. This princess came to the palace of Nebuchadnezzar but was homesick. She missed the mountains, the trees, and wild animals. When Nebuchadnezzar heard the source of discontent, he promised to alleviate her problem. He built a huge mountain of brick and covered it with trees, shrubs, and plants that came to be known as the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon.”

It was so magnificent that it became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Many tourists came to visit this place. To further please his wife, he placed a private zoo of wild animals on top of the gardens. However, along with success and fame, he was overcome with pride. He initially refused to acknowledge that God alone had the power to raise up kings and kingdoms and also to bring them down.

A year later as he was on the roof of his magnificent palace he boasted that his power and glory had built the Babylonian Empire. He forgot Daniel’s warning and took personal credit for the creation of Babylon: The king said, Is not this the great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence and seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor and glory of my majesty? (Daniel 4:30) The Scriptures tells us:

While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling will be with the living creatures of the field. You will be made to eat grass like the oxen, and seven times [or years] shall pass over you until you have learned and know that the Most High [God] rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will (Daniel 4:31-32).

He fell asleep and God gave the prideful king a prophetic dream to warn him of the coming judgment if he refused to repent. The Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar a terrifying vision of the great tree in the middle of the earth that grew to the heavens. The leaves and fruit gave food to all and provided shelter to everyone. (See Daniel 4:14-17)

Nebuchadnezzar related the details of this dream to his wise men and counselors. However, none of them could provide an accurate interpretation. Finally, Daniel was called, but he hesitated to interpret the dream because it revealed that his king would be afflicted with madness.

Daniel said to the king, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or its interpretation trouble or alarm you. Belteshazzar answered, My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its message for your enemies. (Daniel 4:19) As Daniel interpreted the vision of the destruction of a great tree, the prophet explained that a terrible madness would afflict the king:

This is the interpretation, O king: It is the decree of the Most High God which has come upon my lord the king: You shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; you shall be made to eat grass as do the oxen and you shall be wet with the dew of the heavens; and seven times or years shall pass over you until you learn and know and recognize that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He will. (Daniel 4:24-25)

After interpreting the vision, Daniel urged Nebuchadnezzar to repent of his pride in the hope that God’s judgment would be averted:

Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; break off your sins and show the reality of your repentance by righteousness (right standing with God and moral and spiritual rectitude and rightness in every area and relation) and liberate yourself from your iniquities by showing mercy and loving-kindness to the poor and oppressed, that if the king will repent there may possibly be a continuance and lengthening of your peace and tranquility and a healing of your error (Daniel 4:27).

During this time Nebuchadnezzar lost his human reason, his enormous empire and was reduced to insanity, living as a beast in the gardens of the royal palaces for the next seven years. He ate grass like a cow and was drenched with the dew of heaven.

He lived like this until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds claws. During this time, his son Evil-Merodach ruled for seven years. Finally, at the end of these seven years, the king recovered his sanity and acknowledged the sovereignty of God.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding and the right use of my mind returned to me; and I blessed the Most High [God] and I praised and honored and glorified Him Who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion; and His kingdom endures from generation to generation (Daniel 4:34).

He resumed his reign which again was prophesied in a dream: And in that, it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be sure to you after you have learned and know that the God of heaven rules. (Daniel 4:26) Nebuchadnezzar ruled for one final year and died in 562 B.C. after forty-three years on the throne.

Nebuchadnezzar’s story is a reminder to all of us, especially human rulers who get intoxicated with power and want to build human empires, that God is the only one Who determines the destiny of nations and empires.

No empire has an automatic right to exist forever. For instance, all the mighty Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires have disappeared from history. Ironically, all of these empires have persecuted Jews and Christians. The question is, could it be a coincidence or a curse that every empire or nation that has come against or persecuted the Jewish people has sooner or later come to an end?

Fast forward, there is crumbling of the great Spanish Empire after the Spanish Inquisition, the fall of the Turkish Empire. In the twentieth century, there was the destruction of Nazi Germany in 1945, the British Empire, and the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991.

When the apostle Paul preached to the Greeks on Mars Hill at Athens, he said that God made from one common origin, one source, one blood all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined their allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes).… See Acts 17:26-27) God allots every nation its place in time and space. He allows a nation to rise and become an empire, and it is God who brings it to an end.

Many scholars believe that God brought the British Empire to an end when they washed their hands of the Jewish people in 1947 and said they wanted nothing more to do with the Jews. Within five years the British Empire had gone. Could this happen to America when it breaks its military agreements with Israel? Again only time will tell.

World Empires in Historical and Successive order

Nebuchadnezzar was one the most powerful successful kings in human history. Around 606 BC he had two dreams. The first one he sent for all his wise men to tell him the meaning of the dream, or lose their lives. The wise men failed but Daniel interpreted the dream. The dream was of a giant made of different materials from head to foot, starting with a gold head, through silver and iron, down to feet made of clay and iron.

The interpretation of the first dream was that the golden head was Babylon, the Medes and Persians under Cyrus would replace Babylon. They would be followed by the Greek empire under Alexander the Great which would be replaced by the Romans, symbolized by legs of iron mixed with clay.

A stone would end it all. This dream was God’s first warning to Nebuchadnezzar that He is the One Who causes kingdoms to rise and fall, and He would bring these other empires after him.

The Babylonian Empire that stretched from North Africa across the Middle East to the West of Asia.

The Babylonian Empire-Head of Gold:

The Babylonian Empire which is symbolized by the head of gold was by far the most powerful of the four empires. It is located where modern–day Iraq is now. According to historians—it ruled the world for only seventy years. After the seventy years the Babylonian empire fell to the Medes and Persians exactly as Jeremiah had prophesied. (See Jeremiah 25:12-14)

Around 538 B.C., the Medo-Persian army, led by King Cyrus, captured the city of Babylon. While the city was being conquered by the army, King Belshazzar was busy enjoying himself with a banquet using the sacred vessels that were stolen from Solomon’s Temple. He, the Babylonians, and their wives defiled the Temple vessels by drinking wine from them and then a hand supernaturally sent from the presence of the Most High God, appeared and began writing mysterious words on the wall:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Mene means “numbered”—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. Tekel means “weighed”—you’ve weighed on the balances and are found wanting. Parsin means “divided”—your kingdom and your kingship are divided and given to the Medes and Persians. This was also foretold by the prophet Isaiah:

Babylon has fallen, has fallen! And all the graven images of her gods lie shattered on the ground in my vision! (Isaiah 21:9)

These words could not be understood by the Babylonians, neither could they understand the prophetic implications of these words. God gave only Daniel the ability to interpret this message of doom to Babylon. All the wise men, the magicians, and the Chaldeans could not translate these three words yet their education in languages was the same as Daniel.

How did this happen? The answer is, only the man of God, who knew God intimately through daily fellowship and communion with Him, could interpret these words. The Bible says, “Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3). After the collapse of its army and capital that was besieged by the Persians armies, Babylon became part of the new Medo-Persian Empire.

The ancient Medo-Persian Empire, the second world empire that was prophesied by Daniel

The Medo-Persian Empire –Chest of Silver

The second world empire, the Medo–Persian Empire, was represented by the chest of silver. Cyrus the Great founded the Persian kingdom and ruled from 549 to 530 B.C. He created a powerful military and wealthy empire.

In the first year of his reign, King Cyrus authorized the return of the Jewish captives to Palestine thereby fulfilling the prophecy that had been given through Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 25: 11-14) The troops of Cyrus the Great entered Babylon in 539 B.C. and killed Belshazzar, who was the last Babylonian ruler. King Cyrus who was a heathen ruler and a non-Jew was used by God to return the Jews to their homeland.

Cyrus might have been shown the prophecy that was spoken by Isaiah before his birth and written over a century earlier, which predicted that Cyrus himself would help the Jews return to Jerusalem.

Who says of Cyrus, he is My shepherd (ruler), and he shall perform all My pleasure and fulfill all My purpose–even saying of Jerusalem, she shall [again] be built, and of the temple, your foundation shall again be laid. (Isaiah 44:28)

Cyrus gave the proclamation allowing their return, and he gave them money, protection and the Temple articles taken by Nebuchadnezzar. This proclamation allowed the Jews to rebuild the Temple as described in the book of Ezra chapter 1:1-4

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

Cyrus became the king over the entire region that was once Babylon, this empire had taken Israelites captive from the southern kingdom in 586 B.C. Therefore, when the Medo-Persian Empire came to power, King Cyrus’s proclamation of freedom went to all the original 12 tribes, but only Judah and Benjamin responded and returned to rebuild God’s Temple.

The vast Medo-Persian Empire included all the area shown on the following map and more. Some historians note that many exiles however preferred the comfort and security they had in Babylon to the dangerous trip back to Jerusalem, and they decided to stay in Babylon.

After only 207 years of military dominance, the Medo-Persian Empire was destroyed by the Greeks. Daniel described this in a vision he recorded how a rapidly moving male goat, that represented the Greek Empire, would destroy the slower two-horned ram, which represented the Medo- Persian Empire.

The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. (Daniel 8:20-21)

The Greek Empire ruled the known world from the borders of India to Eastern Europe from 331 B.C to 63 B.C.

The Greek Empire—Thighs of Bronze

Greece was the third world empire. It was much stronger than the Medo-Persian Empire, under the leadership of Alexander the Great. He conquered the world from the Mediterranean Sea to India in the east to Egypt and Greece in the west, and when he discovered that there were no more lands to conquer he sat down and wept!

It is reported by historians that he did it with only thirty-two thousand soldiers and five thousand Calvary. He reportedly died prematurely at the age of 33 around 323 B.C and his kingdom was divided into four parts.

Daniel prophesied that, “Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8:8) When Alexander died, his enormous empire that was based on city-states was divided between his four generals in Egypt and Palestine, Syria, present-day Turkish part of Asia Minor and Greece/Macedonia, exactly as Daniel had prophesied almost three centuries earlier.

The Greek Empire in its four divisions ruled the world from India to Eastern Europe from 331 B.C. until 63 B.C. The strongest kingdoms that emerged from these four were Syria and Egypt. Alexander conquered the ancient seaport of Tyre in Lebanon in 332 B.C. Again the prophet Ezekiel had prophesied two centuries earlier that this would happen. (See Ezekiel 26:7-14)

From Tyre, Alexander moved south intending to destroy the city of Jerusalem, because the Jewish leaders had resisted an agreement set on conditions to surrender. According to Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, as Alexander approached Jerusalem, he was met by a delegation of Jewish representatives, including the high priest. Alexander was shocked when the high priest bowed to him and proceeded to tell him that centuries earlier Daniel has foretold his invasion of Asia and his military success.

The high priest told Alexander that God had revealed to Daniel three centuries earlier that a great king would arise from Greece to conquer the entire world. When he showed the Greek king the prophecies of Daniel, Alexander was stunned. The Greek empire’s culture and language was dominant and influential in the world for almost 300 years.

According to prophecy expert Grant R. Jeffrey, “the Greek king was so impressed by the supernatural revelation concerning himself and his growing empire that he honored the high priest’s gesture of submission—and Jerusalem was spared….. Alexander then worshipped in the Temple and gave orders that both Jerusalem and Israel were to be treated with great leniency. Alexander also decreed that the Jews should not be subject to the heavy tribute that he exacted from the conquered peoples in the rest of his empire.”

Meanwhile, the two kingdoms, Egypt under Ptolemy I and Seleucus Nictor controlled large areas of the south and north of Israel. These two kingdoms fought against each other for control over Israel during the next 200 years.

Israel finally established its independence through a military rebellion against the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes who had attacked Israel and overthrew Israel’s high priest, killed more than forty thousand Jews, looted the Temple, and replaced the worship of God with a Greek form of worship.

Through a series of miraculous deliverances from God, the small underground Jewish forces succeeded in 165 B.C. by defeating the massive Syrian armies after three years of war. At that time Israel recovered a measure of its political independence for at least 100 years, until the Roman conquest of Israel in 63 B.C.

The ancient Roman Empire covered much of North Africa, the Middle East, West Asia and Europe.

The Roman Empire—Legs of Iron

The fourth great Roman Empire was divided first into two legs, corresponding to the eastern and western Roman empires. It was represented in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream by the two legs of iron that broke in pieces all that stood before it. A great part of the world had become part and subject to the Roman Empire, when Jesus Christ made His appearance upon the earth. The Jews themselves had got fed up of the Roman rulers.

They wanted Jesus to free Israel from Roman power and then become their king. So when they were assembled, they asked Him, Lord, is this the time when You will reestablish the kingdom and restore it to Israel? He said to them, it is not for you to become acquainted with and know what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power. But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. (Acts 1:6-8 AMP)

The Jews at that time were governed by Herod the Great, who was a Jew in outward profession but devoid of morals and practice. He revolted from the laws of his country, and corrupted their ancient constitution, by the introduction of foreign practices, while those religious observances which used to lead the multitudes to piety were now neglected. So the Jews looked for deliverer, but not for such a one as God had promised.

Instead of a meek and spiritual Savior, they expected a formidable and warlike prince, to break off their chains, and set them at liberty from the Roman yoke. As the Lord had promised they exercised their ministry, during several years, at Jerusalem, and brought to a sufficient degree of consistence and maturity the Christian churches which were founded in Palestine and the adjacent countries, they extended their views further, carried the divine lamp of the gospel to all nations of the world, and saw their labors, crowned almost everywhere, with the most abundant fruits.

For several centuries the Roman Empire ruled half of England in the north, to north Africa in the south, and from Spain in the west to Persia in the east. The empire was led by General Pompey the Great who arrogantly entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple and gave orders to those that had the charge of the temple to cleanse it, and to bring what offerings the law required to God. He restored the high priesthood to Hyrcanus because of his role in hindering the Jews in the country from giving Aristobulus any assistance in his war against him.

The Roman Empire’s military prowess and efficient police and judicial system removed the former laws and ancient customs of the defeated kingdoms that it had united into an enormous political and military machine. The Roman judicial system became so well developed that after two thousand years, it is still influencing the entire European and American legislative and governmental institutions.

During its time, transportation was greatly efficient that it is still known by that famous phrase, “All roads lead to Rome.” These roads were vital in that they easily allowed the Roman army to quickly subjugate any attempt at rebellion against the central government. Another notable achievement was that only two languages were used, Latin and Greek which made it possible for people to understand each other throughout the whole empire.

The empire was divided into two kingdoms during Constantine’s reign. The western empire was based in Rome, and the eastern empire was based in the capital of Constantinople. The Roman Empire lasted for about 500 years, far longer than any other empire. The western empire finally ceased to exist when it was defeated by the Goths around 476 AD.

Whereas the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire, continued for another thousand years through the middle ages in the territories of Turkey, Syria, North Africa, Spain and some parts of Italy, until it was defeated by the Turks in 1453.

But since the rise and fall of the ancient Roman Empire probably more than two thousand years ago, everyone who has tried in establishing this empire to replace the ancient Roman Empire has failed. There was Napoleon, Charlemagne, Frederick Barbarossa, Genghis Khan, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler all tried and failed to create a fifth world empire.

The Revived Roman Empire– Feet of Iron & Clay

The final part of Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream concerned the final stage of the four world empires, when the fourth empire, Rome would rise again. It is depicted by ten toes and feet mixed with iron and clay which represent 10 regional global governments. Many biblical scholars have defined this Revived Roman Empire as the territory that the first Roman Empire occupied, especially in light of the European Union.

It’s probably the last empire before the return of Jesus Christ and will presumably be headquartered at the Vatican in Rome. Until the uniting of Europe in 1993 with the Treaty of Maastricht, a revived Roman Empire fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy didn’t appear it would ever happen.

More recently, Joel Richardson and other scholars have concluded that the prophesied ten nation confederacy will be a coalition of Muslim nations surrounding Israel. Whether the prophesied ten nation confederacy is European based or Muslim Middle East nations, time will tell.

But why would it be a feet of iron mixed with clay? Because the feet of clay and iron suggested that this ten kingdom, or ten nation regional global governments would not stick together because it is impossible to mix clay with iron or weakness with strength.

Most Biblical prophecy interpreters believe there will never be unity in the European Union, which has been evidenced recently by currents events and chaos in the euro zone most notably with Brexit, Greece and other nations.

So if you are distressed by what’s going on in the world today: wars and rumours of war, prosperity of evil leaders, injustice….etc, remember that God, not world leaders, decides the outcome of history. He governs the world according to His purposes. Those who trust in God and have put their faith in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ are members of His indestructible Kingdom and are secure in Him.

The eternal kingdom of God, the Messianic kingdom will extend over the whole earth and all who reject Jesus, the Messiah, the Stone, will be crushed. And whoever falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom It falls will be crushed to powder and It will winnow him, scattering him like dust. (Matthew 21:44)

Warning: this is a very LONG post. Posted on September 10, 2012, Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr Gregg Frazer, Author, The Religious Beliefs of America’s Founders: Reason, Revelation and Revolution

Mohler: This is Thinking in Public, a program dedicated to intelligent conversation about frontline theological and cultural issues with the people who are shaping them. I’m Albert Mohler, your host and president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

The question of the religious convictions and the theological ideas of America’s founding generation continue to reverberate in very contemporary controversy. And no one’s better able to help us to interpret that controversy than my guest today, Professor Gregg Frazer, who is a professor of history at The Master’s College in California. Professor Frazer holds a Ph.D. degree from Claremont Graduate University.

Professor Frazer, welcome to Thinking in Public.

Frazer: Thank you; glad to be here.

Mohler: Your new book, entitled The Religious Beliefs of America’s Founders: Reason, Revelation and Revolution, published by the University of Kansas Press, seems to be a particularly well-timed book, given so many of the controversies that have emerged in evangelical circles even in just the last several weeks. But a project like this goes way back, in terms of your planning and interest. How did you come to write this book?

Frazer: Well, I’ve been interested in the subject of the religious beliefs of the founders for over 30 years. As I actually explain in the preface to the book, some 35 years ago, I was sitting in an audience listening to Peter Marshall and David Manuel talk about the light and the glory and trying to make a case for United States being established as a Christian nation, and, as an historian, I just didn’t think it sounded right. I thought that there were significant problems, and that launched me into 30 years really of studying this. And then when it came time to do a doctoral dissertation, that’s what I ended up doing as my doctoral dissertation, and that launched into, eventually, the book.

Mohler: In your introductory chapter, you write, “The founders of the United States believed that ideas have consequences. Some of the most important and powerful ideas held by men and women concern religion or religious belief. Because they are so important and powerful, religious ideas inevitably influence political thought and practice.” Now that would be one of those statements we would assume just about everyone would agree to be true, but when it comes to the founding fathers, we’re in uniquely controversial territory. In your book you lay out two different parties of historical interest who have varying and, you would thus argue, both erroneous understandings of the religious convictions of our founders. Can you lay that out for us?

Frazer: Yeah. Obviously one side are the Christian America advocates who argue that the founders were largely Christians and that they intended to create a Christian nation, and that the founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, were constructed on the basis of biblical principles, and that they wanted to establish a Christian nation.

And then that obviously has important consequences for today. On the other side are the secularists, the ACLU-types and so forth, who argue for a strict separation, wall of separation, between church and state. They argued that the founders were rank secularists or deists, and that they intended to separate religion from public life, and they have constructed this sort of wall of separation notion, which, by the way, I would argue, is not what the founders believe. And I would argue that both of those sides are wrong; that, in fact, the trust is somewhere in the middle.

Mohler: Somewhere in the middle or perhaps something that’s just completely different, in terms of the intellectual and theological layout. Professor Frazer, I’m interested in this primarily as a theologian. As a theologian, I have deep historical interest, and as an historical theologian, that’s a part of my academic terrain.

But, quite honestly, as important as the historical questions are and as definitive as I think your conclusion to these matters is, my greater concern, as we’ll see in this conversation, is that the theological issues have to be clarified. I mean, one of the problems is that when we talk about what these convictions are, the fact is people on both sides seem to have an inadequate understanding of what Christianity is.

So let’s look at the two parties. Let’s take the party, first of all, of the secularists. The academic historians and you rightly indicate that most of the academic historians basically hold to a rather secularist understanding of the founders, one most deeply suspicious of any authentic Christian content to their beliefs, and you would concede that you can read the founders that way if you are selective in what you read.

Frazer: Right. I think the reason that both sides are able to have followers, other than those who are just blindly following, is that, what I believe is their real—that is the key founders—what their real theology was, was a mixture of Christianity and natural religion, or deism, and rationalism. And they combined those three elements together into what I call “theistic rationalism,” and that’s the term that I coin for their religious belief system.

They took elements of Christianity and elements of natural religion and then, using rationalism, they kept what they thought was reasonable, was rational, and rejected what they considered to be irrational, and so if one wants to just look for—if one comes in with an agenda and one wants to demonstrate or prove that they were secularists, then one can find snippets in which they found that way if one chooses things conveniently. One can find places in which they sound like rank secularists.

On the other side, if one comes in with an agenda to show or to try and prove that they were Christians, one can find snippets in which they agree with Christian doctrine and Christian ideas, and sound Christian. But when one takes the totality of what they said and doesn’t use a lot of ellipsis (you know, the three little dots) to change the meanings of things, one finds that, in fact, they aren’t really in either one of those camps. They’re in the middle in what I call “theistic rationalism.”

Mohler: You provide also another overlay that I think is essential to the narrative that you’re setting out for us here in the interpretive grid, and that is the fact that those who were in the enlightened intellectual class of the founders of the United States of America, they held to certain ideas that they shared only with each other, and that there was a distinction in worldview between those who were in the intellectual elites and those who were in the masses. And the masses that were just deeply saturated in terms of Christian conviction and a Christian worldview, they heard the language used by the elites and assumed they meant the same thing, when actually that was not the case.

Frazer. Right; exactly so. The key founders that I write about were raised in this generally or nominally Christian culture and so they knew Christianity, they knew the language, they knew the terminology, and then they were educated in Enlightenment thought and rationalism. And then they were politicians, like politicians today, who know how to speak to an audience, they know how to speak publicly to appeal to their audience, just as politicians today do.

And so they were able to couch things in terminology that would keep them popular with the people, but when they talk to one another—and this is the focus of my research is on their private writings, on their personal correspondence with one another, their letters, and their diary entries, and personal memoranda, and I believe that’s when you really get at what someone believes is what they say in private that they don’t think others are going to see. And there we can see what they really believed as opposed to the public pronouncements or just, for example, denominational affiliations that some people focus on.

Mohler: Well, I think anyone with any kind of historical interest, and certainly knowledge, would understand that those denominators simply aren’t adequate, and, for instance, just say someone’s a Baptist as over against a Methodist might say something, but to say that someone’s a Baptist or an Anglican or an Episcopalian, could mean nothing more than the fact that one was born into a home where there had been some historic reference to that kind of denominational identification. But, at the same time, in the era of America’s founding, they couldn’t exactly identify themselves as infidels, so, in other words, there was a certain expectation of at least some allegiance to Christian identity; otherwise, they probably would not have had the public influence that was necessary

Frazer: Right; and for the most part they’re able to achieve that simply by attending church, which they did in a very public way, and particularly when they are in the public eye. George Washington, for example, his church attendance when he was back home in Mount Vernon was much more spotty than his church attendance when he was president because he thought it was important to set an example.

And they also held other beliefs that ran congruent with those of the general public, most prominent of which, most significant of which, is that they believed in a present, active God, which is one of the things that separates them from the deists. And they also believed in some written revelation, although they determined what revelation was valid or wasn’t according to their own reason, but at least they could then cite Scripture on occasion to give an illustration or to give an example. They could use a biblical illustration, which made, obviously, the public feel comfortable.

Mohler: One of the greatest achievements, I think, of your contribution here is the definitional contribution you make. And, as a Christian theologian, I’m always frustrated when I see the denominator Christian; Christian used as an adjective, without any substantial definition. And you’re very clear in your book that when you talk about Christianity, you’re talking about orthodox, biblical Christianity.

You’re talking about doctrines as you articulate, including the Trinity; the fact that God is active in human affairs; an affirmation of the deity of Christ; of original sin; the virgin birth of Christ; the atoning work of Christ; the substitutionary, satisfactionary form of understanding the atonement; resurrection; eternal punishment for sin; justification by faith; and the inspiration and authority of the Scripture. But then when it comes to deism, you also provide a definition that, quite honestly, is far more honest, I think, and objective than that that is often used in conversation about the founding fathers where the word deism is thrown around in a way that isn’t actually accurate, so define deism for us as you do in your book.

Frazer: My centerpiece of my argument is my conviction that the terms Christian and deist have been so broadly applied to the founders that they’ve become virtually meaningless categories. And this is largely due, I think, to the fact that these are the only two categories that have been generally accepted, and so people have been shoehorned into one of those identifications, whether they fit or not.

And then to make them fit, the categories get broadened, but, as you say, the definition of Christianity that I use here, what I actually did, because this is a work of history and scholarship, is I went back and I looked at the creeds and confessions of the 18th century American churches and put together a list of ten fundamental doctrines that they all agreed upon were central to Christianity. It just so happens that you and I agree with that said. It just so happens that they had a very, what we would say, orthodox view of Christianity in 18th century American. But where deism is concerned, there are really two fundamental, critical issues and then a third that’s also important.

The core issues for deism were the effective absence of God; that God created and then went on a hike, went on vacation. God left; He’s no longer present and active in the world. Or if He’s out there, He is just viewing as a spectator; He’s not involved. And the other is that there’s no written revelation from God; that there’s no revelation other than natural revelation. The deists believe that all we can know about God is what we can see in nature. And so those are really the two fundamental core elements of deism and then a third one that’s sort of a tangent is a criticism or a critical attitude toward Christianity, toward Jesus and toward Christianity in general.

And what I argue is that these are the fundamental core elements of deism just as the ten doctrines that you rattled off are the core doctrines, the fundamental doctrines, of Christianity. Whereas some Christians might add some things to the list of ten and some deists might add some things to the two or three elements of deism, everybody would agree who was a deist that if you don’t believe those fundamental things, you’re not a deist. And everybody would agree in the Christian community that if you don’t believe those fundamental things, you’re not a Christian. So really the definitions were constructed to say more who’s not a Christian or not a deist than who is a Christian or who is a deist.

Mohler: I’m intentionally refraining from moving to the question of the actual beliefs of the founding fathers and mothers of our country, in particular the founding generation, until we set the stage just a bit further. And, by the way, a good deal of my academic research has been in European deism in the 17th century.

The only thing I would add to your definition is the fact—and it’s implicit in your definition—is the fact that God has not only withdrawn Himself, but that He isn’t a personality, what we would call a personal God, and is more a moral force of energy. And so you put that altogether and you realize you’re talking about two completely incompatible worldviews, and that’s what makes the current confusion so perplexing. You have on the one hand, we know what a Christian is, and you did exactly the right thing, going to the creeds and confessions of the church that unanimously, in terms of the churches you mention, affirm these great Christian doctrines.

They’re the essential content of the Christian faith. And then you define deism, and then you wonder how in the world could it be that someone in the 21st century looking back to the 18th and the early 19th century could be looking at very specific individuals saying, “Are they deists or are they Christians?” How in the world could there actually be a debate about that given the incompatibility of those two worldviews?

Frazer: Again, I think the problem is that those two categories have become so amorphous and undefined that people just slide people into which ever category they prefer without really doing the work, without doing the scholarship. And when the terms are so murky and ambiguous as they have been made then—I read a number of works, biographies of these individuals and so forth, and some of them say, you know, that—say James Wilson, for example—some say that he’s a Christian and others say that he’s a deist.

Some say James Madison is a Christian; others say he’s a deist. Some say George Washington is a Christian; others say he’s a deist. And it’s just because these categories have been broadened and made so ambiguous and unclear that one could just stick people where one wants them, and this is part of my project is to try and brighten the lines a little and give a third option that I think is more reliable and more accurate.

Mohler: So let’s talk about the third option. We’ll do that when we come back with Professor Gregg Frazer.

Setting the story straight requires also setting the stage. That is, understanding the intellectual conditions and intellectual influences that explain the eventual thought of so many of the founders in America’s founding generation. Professor Gregg Frazer has helped us to understand this and that sets the stage for turning to the question of exactly what this theistic rationalism is and how so many of the founding fathers came to believe it.

Professor Gregg Frazer’s new book, The Religious Beliefs of America’s Founders: Reason, Revelation and Revolution, centers in the settlement of an argument that is old and extremely contemporary, and that has to do with what exactly the founding generation of America believed, and, specifically, what they believed in terms of the theological beliefs or, as he says in his book, religious beliefs. Professor Frazer suggests that there is no way we can reduce what they believe to the two options of Christianity and deism, and in his book he suggests a third option: theistic rationalism. Professor Frazer, define theistic rationalism for us:

Frazer: Theistic rationalism was a hybrid belief system, as I call it, mixing elements of natural religion, or deism, Christianity, and rationalism, with rationalism as the predominant element. And rationalism here I define as the idea that fundamental truth can be gained through reason basically.

And so, the adherents of theistic rationalism believed that these three elements of Christianity, natural religion and rationalism would generally complement one another, would generally take you to the same place, but, on occasion, when there’s conflict between them and you can’t ignore or resolve the conflict, then reason was to play the decisive role. So rationalism then is the noun and theistic is the describer, the descriptor.

Mohler: So what is theistic about theistic rationalism?

Frazer: Well, theism, if you go back to—what I did was try to go back to 18th century terms and terminology, which is another problem people have in this arena is they use terms before evangelicals or 21st century Americans that mean something today and meant something different back then when someone used them and they don’t explain the difference, but theism in the 18th century, if you go back to the 18th century dictionaries, was a term that was important because it was distinguished from deism. Theism is a belief in an active God, a present God.

So that’s basically the jist of it: is a belief in an active and present God. And so one can obviously fill in whatever one wants with that and we have, obviously, our beliefs concerning theism and the theistic God that we believe in, but one could basically have whatever view one wanted, but the key to the definition is that it separates it from deism. It’s a present, active God as opposed to the deist god.

Mohler: So let’s try to summarize this, and you do so in several points in your book. Theistic rationalism refers to a worldview that is not orthodox, in terms of its Christian identity, and it’s not deism because it can’t be reduced to the denial of a God who has any affairs with human kind and with His creation, and it doesn’t deny entirely any possibility of divine revelation, but it’s some kind of new thing, a new middle ground, and the theologian, the historical theologian in me, wants to point back to German rationalism and even German pietism as setting the ground for some of this, in terms of continental thought.

But here in the United States, you made very clear that this means that their primary worldview was rationalism. They really believed that human reason was the vehicle by which truth could be known and determined, and that was modified by their theism, by their belief that there was a God, that He was in some way involved with human affairs, especially, I would argue, morally, and that there was at least a revealed ethic to which human beings were to be submitted.

Frazer: Absolutely, and for them the critical element in religion was morality. And this is part of where the left is wrong with their wall of separation notion and the idea that the founders wanted to keep religion out of public life. Quite the contrary, what they had to struggle with was the fact that they were creating society; they were creating a republic, a free society, without the iron fist of the government controlling people.

And so the question they then had to deal with was, “How do you control such people? How do you get them to behave?” And their answer was that you get them to behave, you control them, through morality. And where do you get morality? You get it through religion. So they did not want to divorce or separate religion from public life; rather, they believe that religion was a necessary support of public life, as Washington and Adams and others said quite frequently, by the way.

So they believed that morality was indispensible for a free society and that religion was the best source for morality, and so this wall of separation idea that the left has come up with is simply not the view of the founders. And so, back to their view of God, they again, borrowing notions of Christianity, they then threw out what they thought was irrational of the notions of God and their real focus concerning the attributes of God was on benevolence. That was the fundamental attribute that they believed of God.

That’s what their reason told them that if there is a God and He created people, His primary motivation, His primary attribute would be benevolence—to be kind and good to those people. And, therefore, they jettisoned whatever beliefs they found to be irrational in light of the benevolence of God; things such as, for example, eternal hell. They didn’t believe in eternal hell because they thought that was irrational that God—as many people struggle with today—that God would create man only to confine him to hell. And so they believed in a temporary punishment after death, but that eventually everyone would end in heaven.

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Sid Roth interviews John and Lisa Bevere, ‘fighting for marriage’

John and Lisa Bevere’s marriage didn’t start out happily ever after. They brought selfishness, temper and disfunctional backgrounds to their union, and clashed like Titans.

Separate visions three months into their vows made them realize their conflicts were fueled by Satan. They came to realize not only was their marriage under attack, but the very institution of marriage was being assaulted. They decided to voice out what God says about marriage because it’s so valuable.

Realizing too many couples in conflict cannot be effectively ministered to by people with happy marriages, the Beveres made the difficult decision to “air their dirty laundry” to couples who feel isolated and helpless. They teach lessons on the transforming power of God’s word so other people don’t have to learn the hard way.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhGomGcwBOQ?rel=0]

Politicians know this ruse well: If they want to put something illegal or immoral upon the people, they simply create names that convey something good and/or operate in secret to cover their chicanery.

The president and Congress have used this old ruse once again as they move forward the so-called free trade treaties, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

The treaties are so secretive that congressweasels had to sign nondisclosure statements to view them in secret rooms, and they cannot discuss specifics or take notes of the treaties. Most of the congressweasels did not even bother to read the treaties before voting for them, but they tell us they are for our own good.

So here we have Congress legislating away American sovereignty through stealth and deception, aided and abetted by the distractive clamor over a Confederate battle flag flying in South Carolina.

And over there we have new calls for gun control under the guise of “bipartisanship” from Sens. Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin following the shooting of nine Christians worshiping in a church.

Never mind that the shooter, a deranged, bigoted, drug-addled psychopath broke no fewer than 10 laws in the process of committing his heinous crime. The elites tell us another gun law would have certainly stopped him in his tracks, and removing the flag aforetime would have certainly ended his bigoted notions.

Next we have, the Supreme Court assaulting religious liberty and the historical tradition of marriage with a power-usurping ruling legalizing so-called “gay marriage.”

Propaganda is distortion to promote illegitimate government designs or to promote usury commerce. Behind every propaganda message, there is the transfer of wealth and power to the corporate state. The propaganda covers the slide toward fascism. In fascism, as in America today, commerce and government overlap.

We have come from freedom to fascism in America in just over 200 years and done so without a shot being fired.

How has this been accomplished? It is simple. I first wrote the steps to take us from freedom to fascism for the Personal Liberty reader back in 2010. In light of current events, it’s time to repeat it… with some additions.

It’s accomplished over time — using gradualism — even if it’s accomplished long after those who set it in motion are dead and gone. Here’s how:

• Change the monetary system to fiat, i.e., paper money.
• Transfer wealth with fiat to the state via inflation and depreciation of the currency. Have a graduated income tax and a vast despotic bureaucracy to collect it.
• Create wars.
• Keep race stirred up with class warfare.
• Destroy the family — put the wife to work.
• Promote homosexuality. Glorify it.
• Create government schools under the name of free public education. Dumb the people down so they can’t think. Teach them pseudo-history.
• Unisex and/or transgender.
• Promote “brotherly love” — altruism.
• Denigrate women.
• Feminize men and boys.
• Glorify sex, promote perversion.
• Hold on to and maintain all the historic freedom-sounding names like Constitution, privacy rights, private property, American flag, voting rights, democracy, elected representatives, free press, etc.
• Use very elite and refined propaganda to sway the public on all issues.
• Keep the public ignorant on gold (real money). Erase it from memory.
• Gun control through gradualism. Cultivate the public to fear guns by promoting the idea that guns are dangerous. Inflate gun accidents and gun incidents on nationwide media. Sensationalize the negative.
• Keep the trusted gang in power no matter who is president.
• Manipulate government statistics.
• Govern through crisis. Ram bills through under the guise of “emergency.”
• Promote peace and manufacture arms for export. Be the world’s No. 1 arms manufacturer and dealer.
• Harass people with “foreign bank accounts” while having the largest tax haven in the world with and through U.S. banks within the U.S.
• Enslave the world with fiat euphemistically called a reserve currency. Don’t allow the gold standard anywhere in the world.
• Call it private property but have perpetual and increasing property taxes.
• Confuse the terms liberal, conservative, socialist, communist, fascist, democrat, republican.
• Give the vote to noncitizens.
• Keep the populace unhealthy. Push drugs as “cures” and deny natural alternatives.
• Promise more free “stuff” to be paid for through theft of wealthy.

“But, Bob,” you say, “America is free. It is a democracy. We vote in our ‘leaders.’ There are no jackboots and no Gestapo.”

In America we have benevolent totalitarianism. This is a term that we created to describe the modern system of government that is fascism in all but name. It is all hidden under that loving word “democracy.” This is a political lock with an iron grip on the minds of the population.

Any political, economic, or military alchemy or chicanery is hidden behind the word “democracy.” This is a major, major key to understanding reality today.
Germany had the overt symbols of tyranny and the transfer of the democratic process to the police state.

There was the jackboot authority shrouded with the occult swastika. It was despotism in full regalia. Institutional life took on militarism and the harsh discipline of a police state.

America still has all the symbols of liberty and all the trappings of human freedom. It is totalitarianism made palatable with a democratic aura.

So what is the difference between ugly and obvious Nazi fascism and modern fascism under the pretense of democracy? Modern fascism is hidden and twisted under an aura of benevolence.

After all, the modern propagandists have learned volumes since Nazi fascism. The modern police state does everything possible to make modern fascism palatable. It is being refined every minute of every day.

© Copyright 2015 Bob Livingston Personal Liberty.com