Thomas Sowell: "Not only did July 4, 1776 mark American
independence from England, it marked a radically different
kind of government from the governments that prevailed around
the world at the time -- and the kinds of governments that had
prevailed for thousands of years before. The American Revolution
was not simply a rebellion against the King of England, it was
a rebellion against being ruled by kings in general.
That is why the opening salvo of the American Revolution was
called 'the shot heard round the world.'...
"You
couldn't be more exceptional in the 18th century than to create
your fundamental document -- the Constitution of the
United States -- by opening with the momentous words, 'We
the people...' Those three words were a slap in the face
to those who thought themselves entitled to rule, and who
regarded the people as if they were simply human livestock,
destined to be herded and shepherded by their betters.
"Indeed,
to this very day, elites who think that way -- and that includes
many among the intelligentsia, as well as political messiahs
-- find the Constitution of the United States a real pain because
it stands in the way of their imposing their will and their
presumptions on the rest of us.....
"More
than a hundred years ago, so-called 'Progressives' began a campaign
to undermine the Constitution's strict limitations on government....That
effort to discredit the Constitution continues to this day."
America! Do You Remember?
"When riots were unthinkable. When
you left your front doors open...."
"The Declaration of Independence
was approved JULY 4, 1776....
Benjamin
Franklin said, "We must hang together or most assuredly
we shall hang separately."
Of the 56
signers: 17 lost their fortunes, 12 had their homes
destroyed, 5 became prisoners of war, 1 had two sons imprisoned
on the British starving ship Jersey, 1 had a son killed
in battle, 1 had his wife die from harsh prison treatment
and 9 signers died during the War....
John Adams
said, ". . . I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure
that it will cost to maintain this Declaration.... Posterity
will triumph in that day's transaction, even though we [may
regret] it, which I trust in God we shall not." The link
to this message."
The Declaration
of Independence:
"We hold
these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the Pursuit of Happiness...."
But the "inalienable
rights" God gives to His people (believers who know and follow
Him) are
eternal blessings
for His children, not "human rights" as defined by the world.
Our "rights" are based on the life of Jesus in us, and they
don't include any guarantee of social equality, earthly success,
or justice here on earth. Instead we are called to "suffer with
Him" as we walk with Him each day. And in the midst of pain
and injustice, He gives us peace and perseverance:
"...we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence
of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed
on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not
in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but
not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying
of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested
in our body." 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
The "rights" (or
rather blessings) we have in Christ include all the privileges
of being part of His family and “fellow-heirs” with Him for
all eternity. For He has...
"...blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption
as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace.... In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace..."
Ephesians 1:3-7
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward
man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day
by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,
is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen. For the things which
are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen
are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
As for nations,
He warned His people in Old Testament days that if they forgot
Him, ignored His ways and followed “other gods,” they would
surely be destroyed. The New Testament reminds us that America
would face a similar end if we choose to follow the world's
highway to cultural degradation rather than God's narrow way
to peace and joy with Him. [See
Total transformation]
America's Spiritual
Slide. As an immigrant
(Norwegian), I truly appreciate what God has given us in
this country. All the more, I grieve at the erosion of
Biblical values and the rising hostility toward God's
unchanging truth.
The only hope for America is Jesus
The only hope for
our country is Him
If we repent of
our ways stand firm and say
We need God in America
again.
