Pergamos was where Satan was said to have his throne in Rev 2:12-13
Picture of Pergamon Altar by Gryffindor
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
It has become more and more evident to me over time that there is no such thing as a godly form of government. Any and all forms of government can be corrupted. God knew this in advance when he created a split among the judges, the civil authorities, and the priests, the religious authorities. These were supposed to keep one another in check. When both failed, God sent prophets to turn people back to Him.
It is interesting how evil flourishes best when tyrants are in charge and freedoms are curtailed. Sometimes, this is done by providing a distraction. One “freedom” is won for a select group, which buys their unyielding loyalty, while others are totally disregarded and are expected to merely submit no matter the cost. Democracies might not be the best or most righteous form of governance, but their inefficiency makes corruption a little more difficult — at first. Once corruption sets in, true democracy is diminished as fast as real freedom is taken away.
Certainly, freedom and righteousness are intertwined.
Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.
~ Benjamin Franklin
Ex-President Mohamed Morsi is a good example of one who talked about democracy all the while laying the groundwork for Sharia law and installing cronies into office. Sharia law is anything but democratic. Saying Morsi was the duly democratic president at the time is an oxymoron. The populace showed how he really was not and ousted him.
Yet, our own country sees freedoms stripped away little by little, and the public allows it, much as Germany gave over her freedoms to Adolf Hitler who promised the nation many great things. Americans seem to keep preoccupied with various things, and there is only an outcry when it hits them personally. The outcry over the Affordable Care Act is too little too late. People have been listening to the Pied Piper’s song, lulled into complacency, and even then it seems that the outrage is rather muffled.
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free . . . it expects what never was and never will be
~ Thomas Jefferson
The AFA works to fix 15% of people who were underinsured by inconveniencing the other 85%. In a grand stroke, the government now has access to even more of your personal information and seeks to control and dictate who can be seen, who can be insured and for what. Benevolent or not, this is not freedom.
There is even more chilling news, though, on the electronic front. That is why I today posted “News Roundup: Land of the Not So Free?” on my technology blog. Even Microsoft is chafing under the criticism of a lack of privacy in using software, and it has compared the US government’s activities to that of cybercriminals, covered only by the thinnest of veils.
Let’s face it: Governments will take power if handed to them. Only the righteous will give back to the people, but governments and their followers will tend towards corruption over the long haul every time.
A lot of this has to do with the idolatry of government. When God is pushed out of the picture, government is seen as the one and only savior, and that government will take control of their lives.
Just like in some “Church of God” organizations.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
~ Rev 3:9
Extreme control, fear and intimidation are the tools of Satan. Recognize them and be on guard.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
~ 1Jn 4:18
It is astonishing how much our country has changed over the last 10 years or so.
Now our system of checks and balances has collapsed. Not because of opposition obstructionism but because the President’s own party refuses to hold him accountable for unconstitutional usurping of their authority, in fact they are encouraging it. Once that precedent has been set it is a small leap for the sitting President or a future one to turn the “Presidency” into something seen in banana republics.
Someone was talking to me about the 2016 presidential election and I asked “Are you sure there will be one?” I was only half joking.
Paul wrote: “It is astonishing how much our country has changed over the last 10 years or so.”
I would say the past 12 years and almost 3 months, to be precise. You can argue that our power and influence in world events leveled off way before then, and our level of morality much earlier, but 9/11/01 introduced a very new variable into the equation: fear. At first, it seemed to provide an upswing in conservative (i.e., usually more traditionally moral) values, but then the entire WMD thing as well as questionable interrogation tactics created a significant backlash. I don’t know how it could be that the misinformation about WMDs could have been unintentional, and Americans do not like being lied to. In addition, redefining torture according to the desired outcome is a liberal tactic that was now being used by conservatives. Hypocrisy is also a turn-off for Americans.
Every misstep of conservatives have allowed liberal forces to gather muster and even some validation, and they took advantage of that power base at every opportunity. It has also allowed the voices of militant atheists to become louder and sometimes even unchallenged in the public sphere.
I have been guilty of picturing the rise and decline of events as somewhat linear, but the speed of things has challenged that notion. It was once said by someone that John marveled at the Great Harlot not only because of her power but because of the speed in which she took control. I sort of believe that. When East Germany began to fall apart, people were pondering first if it would take 15 years for reunification, then 10, and then 5. It actually took about 18 months.
I’ve thought a little about the “paying it forward” movement. It’s a great thing, IMO, albeit it must sometimes be a challenge on some store clerks to keep it all going smoothly. One person starts it off, and then the next thing you know a lot of people are doing it. In a limited way, good really can catch on, catch fire and proliferate.
Unfortunately, doesn’t evil work the same way? It can also catch on, catch fire and proliferate. The difference is that evil does not replace or replenish the fuel, but it can also consume almost anything. Good will burn but automatically produce more fuel for itself if not contained by evil. One destroys, while the other produces.
Back to the point, it will not be a linear decline. It probably won’t be a smooth line (it wasn’t with ancient Judah, who had its points of declines and revivals). On average, though, I suspect it will be not unlike a bell curve.