Hypocrisy: Gun Control, Big Banks, and Climate Change

      Hypocrisy runs thick among politicians as we all know, but when looking at the far left it seems to be much more prevalent. If one pays very close attention to the words that come out of a liberal politician mouth you will see they are speaking out of both sides of it. To an audience that is plagued with the attention span of a two-year old, their arguments sound very fluid, convincing, and moral. I will use a few prominent issues to prove this sad state of the liberal agenda.

     Abortion has been one of the most fought over issues over the last forty or so years. The right has remained fairly consistent on the issue, believing that in almost all cases abortion should be outlawed due to the sanctity of life. The left on the other hand has been all over the map when it comes to the importance of life. First, you hear politicians such as Barak Obama calling for an end to the sale of assault rifles, and even claimed that if just 'one' child could be saved it would be worth it. Now that argument in and of itself seems to come from a passion for saving lives, but what comes out of the other side of his mouth? When he was in the senate in Illinois he argued that babies who survived an abortion should be allowed to die from malnutrition. So what exactly is the real stance of the left? 55 million babies have been aborted since abortion was legalized in the 1970's, but liberals have done nothing to stop the senseless murdering of innocence. The reality is that politicians such as Barak Obama and Nancy Pelosi only care about saving just 'one' innocent life if it fits their political agenda.

     On the economic front there is a constant attack on big business from those in control of our government at this present time. They cry for fairness and equality for all, but when the veil is pulled back who is supporting these very same democrats? In 2008 6 of the top 7 donors to Obama's campaign were investment banks. These same investment banks (like the bankrupt Lehman Brother's) were the one's who were responsible for the housing crisis and the skyrocketing gas prices. So why would they support candidates who said they wanted to take down these very same companies? The answer is quite clear! When it comes to investment banks, they now have the backing of the federal government when they invest in risky ventures, because they now know they have paid for the government to bail them out when they are in trouble. As for oil companies, they love the policies that shutdown more production, because when you shutdown production supply falls and prices along with profits rise. When you open up drilling to more competition the price drops drastically.

     Climate change will be the last issue discussed in this paper. Whether climate change is man made is still up for some debate, but that is not what will be discussed here, we will look at the true motives of the people promoting this fear. Let's look at Al Gore and his mission to end the harmful carbon emissions of the human race. On face value it seems once again to be a very worthy cause that most Americans would support, but now let's look at the truth behind his mission. Al Gore owns a home that produces 20 to 25 times the carbon emissions of a normal American household. He also flies around on a Lear jet that is a major carbon emitter. Putting aside these simple hypocrisies, we can get to the real sinister motive behind climate change. Al Gore constantly presses for carbon taxes and credits and there is a very real reason for this. He is a board member and major shareholder in the company that will be selling these very same carbon credits. It has been reported that he stands to make from 1 to 1.5 billion dollars if he can get the bill passed in congress. Now that is real concern for the environment. Another short example of this profit based motive cloaked in concern for the environment is that of MSNBC. They have been huge supporters of the green movement and the new low carbon emitting light bulbs. Great idea! Less electricity used and we will all save money on our electric bill. Now the reality, MSNBC is owned by GE (the very same company that manufactures the more expensive light bulb) and when you combine the wind energy and light bulb pushed they're reported to see an increase in revenue which could reach 1 trillion dollars when all is said and done. Sad!

     Now politicians on both sides of the isle are guilty of this type of behavior, but until we find a man with true character and an unbending will, we should seek to support the lesser of two evils. And furthermore, I encourage each and every American to take a close look at what they're being told and not just take it in unquestioned. If we don't we become mindless minions of a large and powerful government that will exploit us at every possible turn. God Bless and have a great day.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee  

A Brief History of Ancient Money

     One of the most valued things in our human existence is money in its various forms.  In order to better understand how we came to exchange paper for houses and cars,a closer look must be taken at the beginnings of this form of trade, which will give us a better perspective of how the current monetary system came about.  As we take a brief walk through the history of money, you be intrigued as to how different civilizations valued different objects, and how those object were in fact traded.  

     One of the first areas of the globe we will look at is the ancient Lydians of Greece, who Herodotus credits in the eighth century B.C. the following, "...The manners and customs of the Lydians do not essentially vary from those of Greece, except in this prostitution of young women.  They are the first people on record who coined gold and silver into money, and traded in retail."  It seems fitting that since prostitution is said to be the oldest profession that money would be recorded first in such a transaction.  While Herodotus is one of the more widely accepted ancient historians, in Jack Weatherford's The History of Money he shed light on a more ancient claim to the beginning of money when he writes, "As early as the end of the third millennium B.C., the people of Mesopotamia began using ingots of precious metals in exchange for goods.  Mesopotamian clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform in 2500 B.C. mention the use of silver as a form of payment."  The first use of precious metals for currency may never  be known, but it is important to look at the best sources of information on the subject that we have to date. 
     The problem many of the early money makers had though was developing a uniformed and standard weight and values for the different precious metals.  According to John Kenneth Galbraith in Money: Whence It Came, Where It Went, "After Alexander the Great the custom was established of depicting the head of the sovereign on the coin, less, it has been suggested, as a guarantee of the weight and fineness of the metal than as a thoughtful gesture by the ruler himself."  This form of currency remained largely unchanged in this part of the world until the 17th and 18th century when bank notes began to appear and be accepted as 'good as gold'.  The next part of the globe we are going to visit was for more primitive in its exchange of goods and its form of currency.

      The ancient Aztec culture was far more brutal and controlling of its currency than other surrounding nations.  Cocoa beans were the coins of this empire and they were sacredly valued and meticulously counted.  What is amazing and disturbing about this economic system is not in the trade of the beans, but in fact what they were traded for.  600 cocoa beans could be traded for a human in which to sacrifice to the God's (which occurred daily with the ripping out of the live victims heart).  According to Jack Weatherford in  The History of Money, "Although the sacrifices sponsored by the merchants ended up on the dining table of a special banquet, most sacrificial victims had a more mercantile end....They disemboweled the corpse and sent the choicest cuts of meat to the tianquiztli, the city market, where they would be sold for chocolate."  So much for the ancient Americans 'painting with the colors of the wind' and being harmony with every living thing.

     Although the Aztec and early American Indian trading and religious system was brutal and archaic, it still was monitored very closely by its government.  Some of the more daring traders would attempt to fill cocoa beans with mud and then pawn them of as real beans, but if the perpetrator was caught it would most likely cost him his life.

     By the time of Christ, many nations had begun to steer away from trading farming goods for services and had adopted the metal form of currency.  This has lasted to a certain extent up to this day, but it has not been without its drawbacks.  In The Wealth of Nations, one of the greatest economic works of all time, Adam Smith wrote about the common custom of merchants and buyers chipping off small pieces of the coins thus damaging their value.  In an effort to stop this practice Kings went to the furthest extent and issued that proclamation that anyone found defacing the currency would be executed, and this largely curtailed the practice.

     Moving into more modern time, the Bank of England charter of 1694 helped promote and spread the use of a new form of currency, paper.  Although its use had been around since the late 13th and early 14th century, people were still widely skeptical of its use.  As we have now entered into the period of modern currency and trade I feel that this is a good place to leave off.  Next we will deal with modern forms of currency such as; credit/debit cards, stocks, greenbacks, and gold etc.



By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Great Guide To The End Times

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Popes Resignation and Possible End Times Implications!

     With the sudden resignation of the Pope it seems appropriate to reflect on some of the Papal and Biblical prophecies that may be implicated by this event.  Before we begin I would like to make clear that the following is from research alone and not to considered Divinely inspired.  I would expect that each of you would read and then search your own hearts through prayer and meditation for what God would reveal to you.  Now let's begin our discussion.

     Pope Benedict XVI announced to the world today that he will be stepping down on February 28th of this year sighting poor health as his reason.  This immediately leaves millions wondering who the next head of the Catholic church will be, and a good place to begin our search is with the prophecy of Saint Malachy in 1139.    Malachy had been summoned to Rome by the reigning pope and while he was their it was said that he experienced a vision of all the popes to come.  Many claim that another person authored the prophecy, and some even claim that famous Nostradamus was responsible for its creation.  Regardless of who the author of the work was, it's been eerily accurate as to who was to be the successors of the Papacy.

     According to wikipedia, "They purport to describe each of the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few anti-popes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with current pope Benedict XVI's successor, a pope described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome."  Many prophecy scholars claim that this 'final' pope will be the harlot that revelations speaks about as being the leader of the one world religion.  If that is indeed the case than this puts a very evil man into a very powerful position and we must all be on our guard so that we are not deceived.  John Phillips describes the false prophet as follows, "The Dynamic appeal of the false prophet will lie in his skill in combining political expediency with religious passion, self-interest with benevolent philanthropy, lofty sentiment with blatant sophistry, moral platitude with unbridled self-indulgence.  His arguments will be subtle, convincing, and appealing.  His oratory will be hypnotic, for he will be able to move the masses to tears or whip them into a frenzy....His deadly appeal will lie in the fact that what he says will sound so right, so sensible, so exactly what unregenerate men have always wanted to hear."  Frightening indeed.

     Whether the next pope is going to be the false prophet, or will be a Jew as some suggest, it is important to see what his ultimate goal is.  According to Revelation 13:12,  “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed”  So the false prophet's main goal is to get the masses to worship the beast or antichrist.  This unholy trinity will have the power to mimic the miracles that the two witnesses from God perform.  The ultimate goal will be that every man, woman, and child on earth declare that the beast is God.  He will eventually sit on the throne of God in the third temple and proclaim that he is god and sacrifice a pigs on the altar.

     This altar and throne will be located on the temple mount in Israel when the third temple of Solomon is rebuilt.  Many think that the idea of the Muslims allowing a Jewish temple to be built next to the dome of the rock is absurd and unlikely, but there are today Jew's in the Holy Land that have already made the temple utensils and some of the building blocks in anticipation of the new temple.  The Bible talks about a 7 year peace treaty being signed between Israel and its' enemies, and after 3 1/2 years the treaty will be broken.  Some suggest that the treaty will include the Jew's being able to rebuild Solomon's temple.  

     This whole scenario is not as unlikely as it may seem.  The so-called 'Arab Spring' may have been the first domino to fall in the prophetic calendar leading up to the 'Ezekiel War' where God supernaturally saves Israel from the invading armies.  When we look closely at the countries that participated in this revolution there is one thing that stands out very clear.  The only nations where the 'Arab Spring' was 'successful' were Islamic countries that had secular governments in place that allowed a certain amount of religious freedom.  After they were able to topple their dictators, the Muslim Brotherhood was quick to snatch power from the people and attempt to implement Sharia Law.  So the question is this, why did America and the west not support the uprisings in Iran and Saudi Arabia?  The answer from a Biblical standpoint is clear, and it is because those nations were already governed by Islamic theocracies.  So the pieces are now in place for what is to come next.

     In Ezekiel 38:19-22 it states, "In My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: "Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the fields, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence.  The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground".  I will call for a sword against Gog (Russia) throughout all My mountains," says the Lord God.  "Every man's sword will be against his brother.  And I will bring him to judgement with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on many peoples who are with him (Arab nations), flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."  As you can see, Russia (who has long hated Israel) and an Arab alliance will come against Israel and be destroyed by God.  Already we can see the signs of a military strengthening on the part of the Arab nations as reported by the New York Times, "The agreements with Saudi Arabia included the purchase of 84 advanced F-15 fighters, a variety of ammunition, missiles and logistics support, and upgrades of 70 of the F-15 fighters in the current fleet.  Sales to Saudi Arabia last year also included dozens of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, all contributing to a total Saudi weapons deal from the United States of $33.4 billion, according to the study.  The United Arab Emirates purchased a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, an advanced antimissile shield that includes radars and is valued at $3.49 billion, as well as 16 Chinook helicopters for $939 million.  Oman bought 18 F-16 fighters for $1.4 billion."  Many cite the reason for this military 'bulking up' as a response to the growing threat from Iran, but to Christians it should signal something far different.  War is coming to Israel and with everything that has been going on in the region it seems likely that it is coming very soon.  Our President is visiting Israel this week, and right before his arrival the state of Israel has approved more new settlements, which will undoubtedly cause an uproar among the Arab and Persian nations.

     So if we really are living in the end times, what are we to do?  Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.  For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.  For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon  a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape."  It is apparent from this passage that we must be on the constant look out, especially when peace is cried out loud and far.  

     These times may seem to be full of fear, but God has made promises to those who call on Him.  As David Jeremiah writes in Living With Confidence In A Chaotic World, "A particularly wonderful aspect of the Bible is its many promises.  When God makes a promise, it is our rock.  Jesus comforts us with this promise: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also"(John 14:3)"  My advice to all Christians, whether pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib, is to live your life as God intended.  If you're in school, stay in school.  If you want to have a baby, by all means be fruitful and multiply.  Don't ever let fear of the end prevent you from having all that God has promised to you!  Now to those of you who do not believe in Christ I would like to offer you the opportunity to make Him Lord of your life.  Just tell Him that you're a sinner in need of His saving grace and the sacrifice that He went through on the cross.  Let Him know that you will make Him Lord of your life.  If you have confessed to Christ all this and confessed that He is the Son of God, then I would like to welcome you into the family of God.  Now join a good church and read the Bible for all its wonder and promises!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee