Paul Ryan and Lindsey Graham: A Dynamic Duo‏

A timely post from www.westernpac.org about two establishment Republicans. This follows this post about the impeachment proceedings against Eric Holder. This follows this post about Christmas in Mexico.  In the meantime, you can get more involved if you like here and read an interesting book HERE.


Paul Ryan and Lindsey Graham: A Dynamic Duo



Dear Patriot,
Lindsey Graham is at it again, declaring that Paul Ryan's budget boosts his 2016 presidential prospects.  Ryan's budget obliterates the hard-won gains of the sequester, where Republicans managed to get $85 billion in cuts out of a $3.8 trillion budget with a Democratic president in the White House and Democrats in control of the Senate.  Rather than using the $85 billion as a springboard for new cuts with a budget deadline looming, and Democrats reeling from the Obamacare rollout debacle, Paul Ryan decided to give virtually all of the ground gained through sequestration back to the Democrats.  
The Ryan budget spends $63 billion more over the next two years, with $45 billion in additional military spending on top of the $683 billion military budget.  Patty Murray extracted another $18 billion in non-defense spending as well.  This is the crux of the argument: if you take a $1 trillion out of the federal budget over a 10 year period, when combined federal spending will be almost $40 trillion, you're asking too much.  That's not even 2.5% over the long term.  
Yet Paul Ryan rushed to spend more money in collusion with Democrats like Patty Murray, and Lindsey Graham threw his support behind it.  This is the same Lindsey Graham who thought amnesty for illegal aliens with multiple criminal convictions was a good idea, the same Lindsey Graham who would throw open the floodgates for limitless NSA surveillance and destroy the Bill of Rights.   
For men like Lindsey Graham and Paul Ryan, fiscal restraint is a non-existent concept. They don't have any issue with spending more of your money, even as the country reels under $17 trillion in immediate debt, $2.7 trillion in Social Security IOUs, and over $200 trillion in unfunded liabilities.  No, Lindsey Graham and Paul Ryan want to spend more of your money because it's the way they buy their re-election and secure campaign contributions.  
Tell Lindsey Graham and Paul Ryan that your money is not their personal piggybank. Tell them you don't want to be hit with more "user fees" when you fly to finance their wasteful and excessive spending.  Tell them you don't want to leave your children and grandchildren even more debt from profligate federal spending. Your donation helps us go after men like Lindsey Graham and Paul Ryan, and we're already driving Lindsey Graham's approval ratings through the floor in South Carolina.  
Help us keep the heat on, and keep the fight going! Donate today! ‏ 

World News and Trends: Is Russia a U.S. ally?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Russian rivalry with the U.S. This follows this post about the popularity of the Bible.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

World News and Trends: Is Russia a U.S. ally?






article by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder





Vladimir Putin's Russia has covertly and systematically undermined U.S. interests, particularly in the Middle East, yet continues to purport to be America's ally in the war against terrorism.



Russian companies provided Iraq with high-tech military equipment, including advanced antitank missiles, night goggles and GPS jamming equipment, putting coalition soldiers' lives at risk. Russia denied that they were responsible for such sales, claiming that they might have been sold to the Iraqis through third countries. Yet they can't explain why Russian specialists were discovered in Iraq training Saddam's troops to use the high-tech weaponry.



Even worse, coalition forces discovered documents showing that in recent months Russia had provided the Iraqi regime with secret information on Western leaders and had helped train Iraqi agents.



This kind of political underhandedness is not new to Russia. Throughout the 1980s, while the Cold War was at its hottest, U.S. President Ronald Reagan often called the Soviets' bluffs. He went on the attack and labeled them as the "evil empire," thereby keeping their feet to the fire.



Consider this: Russia is building a nuclear reactor in oil-rich Iran, thereby supplying Iran with technology that can be used to produce nuclear weapons. They also continue to arm North Korea in spite of the fact that North Korea has threatened the United States with nuclear attack.



It appears that Russia is pursuing an agenda of seeking to deprive America of its leading role in world politics. Apparently the Cold War is heating up. How can America respond? A temporary answer might be to follow Ronald Reagan's lead. After all, didn't the Soviet Union break up at the end of President Reagan's eight-year term? Obviously, Russia can't aid and abet America's enemies and say it is an ally.



Scripture has the best answer to political intrigue and man's inhumanity to man. One day there will be only one government on earth, and that government will have as its goal the welfare, security and peace for all of mankind (Daniel 2:44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.



See All...). To better understand these trends, request our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy and The Book of Revelation Unveiled.



(Sources: The Washington Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Telegraph [London].)

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Tell Washington What You Think of Obama's Terroristic Threats and Release of Illegals

A very interesting post from www.Alipac.US about the release of illegal alien criminals from jails last week. This follows this post about the CATO Institute. This follows this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! For more about what is happening in the nation now click here and you can read two very interesting books HERE.

Tell Washington What You Think of Obama's Terroristic Threats and Release of Illegals


by

ALIPAC

 Friends of ALIPAC,



We are sending out a national press release this morning expressing our concerns about the Obama administration's terroristic threats against American citizens and Congress, and the release of 10,000 illegal aliens with broader criminal charges.



Obama Using Illegal Immigrants As Form of Terrorism Against Americans

http://www.alipac.us/content/obama-u...mericans-1409/

Please help us in many ways.



Step 1: Please share, post, forward, and circulate our press release to other American activists, your local talk radio shows and media, your social media accounts, state and federal elected officials, to the Drudge Report and national media sources. If you agree with what we are saying, express your agreement by circulating this release with us today!



Step 2: Call Obama, McCain, and Graham, and their backers Jeff Flake and Marco Rubio, to express your concerns. Call to say



"I am angry that Obama is releasing illegal immigrants from detention and threatening the American public with more deaths and destruction from illegal immigrants if he does not get his way. His terroristic threats and meetings behind closed doors with McCain and Graham as representatives of the 'Gang of 8' should not be tolerated by Congress, the media, or the American public!"



Share your version of this talking point far and wide online and on talk radio shows, starting with the office staff of Obama, McCain, Flake, Rubio, and their child prostitution user Robert Menendez (D-NJ)



White House Number: Comments: 202-456-1111

Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Toll free 1-866-220-0044

John McCain: (202) 224-2235

Linsdey Graham: (202) 224-5972

Marco Rubio: (202) 224-3041

Jeff Flake: (202) 224-4521

Robert Menendez: (202)224-4744



Step 3: Then take actions that can help destroy the Amnesty 2013 plans by circulating this release, this talking point, and the new Reuters Poll showing most Americans want illegal aliens deported with your member of Congress and your US Senators.



Here is the poll again--

Majority of US Citizens Say Illegal Aliens Should Be Deported

http://www.alipac.us/content/majorit...deported-1399/



Here is the link for you to find the contact info for your Reps. Remember, to have the best impact CALL them first, then send in a written reinforcement. It takes more time than some other automated means, but this is the method ALIPAC has shown to have the greatest impact!



Congressional Rep locator link

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/



Step 4: The previous steps should only take you about 15-30 minutes of volunteer time. If you have more time, please saturate the following Republican senate targets with the ALIPAC press release, the talking point in Step 2, and the poll in step 3. Applying pressure to these offices has a good chance of causing some of these GOP lawmakers to back away from the "Gang of 8."



Please target your calls and written messages to this list at this link...

http://www.alipac.us/f8/illegal-alie...ay-you-271631/





Special thanks to all of you volunteering to help today!

"The Only Thing We Learn From History Is That We Learn Nothing From History."

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the historical developments in the United States. This follows this post about the abortion controversy on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

"The Only Thing We Learn From History Is That We Learn Nothing From History."


 With the arrival of a new year has come a wave of new laws and new political leadership, the result of November's election choices.



In the state where I live, officials and law-enforcement authorities are trying to sort out the mess created when voters approved growing, sharing and consuming marijuana for personal use. It's raised a whole tangle of legal issues, not least that it conflicts with federal law under which marijuana use remains illegal. The moral issues involved are far more serious, but a majority of voters have already dismissed those as not worthy of consideration.



Liberals in my state are also enthused about their gaining control of both houses of the state legislature—where, for the first time, avowed homosexuals now hold the top leadership positions in both the state house and state senate.



And although the state faces many serious challenges, what's at the top of their legislative agenda? To no one's surprise, legalizing civil unions is one of their highest priorities (only because same-sex marriage is banned in the state constitution, though I don't doubt we will soon see efforts to reverse that).



To top it all off, voters also approved a number of higher taxes, which will grow government even more at the expense of taxpayers and businesses.



What's happening in my state only mirrors what's taking place at the national level, where after four years of exploding government spending, skyrocketing debt, growing government handouts, high unemployment, stagnant economic growth and expansion of government intrusion into the lives of individual citizens, Americans went to the polls and decisively voted for more of the same.



As a student of history, I'm fascinated by the factors that lead to the rise and fall of great powers. I've walked among the ruins of the long-vanished empires of Egypt, Greece and Rome and studied what led to their decline and collapse.



The noted philosopher George Santayana penned one of the great truths about human history: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."



His observation echoes a somewhat more cynical version written earlier by the German philosopher Friedrich Hegel: "The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history."



We are at a turning point in human history. It's not often that we witness the point at which a nation's momentum, driven by its collective choices, carries it in a direction it might not otherwise go and which it finds itself unable to change.



Watching what is taking place in the United States today is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The train has jumped the tracks, the engineers in the locomotive can't stop it, and the train's momentum makes the disastrous outcome unavoidable.



You need to wake up to what's really happening today. The United States is at a critical turning point—if it hasn't passed it already. America's role as world superpower was foretold long ago in the pages of the Bible—as was its downfall for turning its back on the God who blessed it so abundantly.



You need to understand what's happening and why. You need to know the answer to the question posed in this issue of The Good News— "Where Does America Go From Here? "







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Stop Amnesty 2013 Today Americans Against Amnesty To Your Phones‏

A very interesting post from www.Alipac.US about contacting pro-amnesty representatives. This follows this post about messaging your representive at the beginning of this Congress.  This follows this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! For more about what is happening in the nation now click here and you can read a very interesting book HERE.

Stop Amnesty 2013 Today Americans Against Amnesty To Your Phones‏




Americans for Legal Immigration PAC

ALIPAC Activists!



This is a Red Alert. We need everyone, and we do mean every single person we can get, on the phones to Congress with us today to Stop Amnesty 2013!



The Obama administration and other amnesty supporters are trying to psych you out saying "We have the votes we need to pass Amnesty quickly" Don't buy their hype because they are going down.



We beat them in 2006. We beat their amnesty again in 2007. And when they told us they would pass amnesty in 2010, ALIPACers like you stepped up with us and beat them again!



Today we must GENERATE A LARGE VOLUME OF TARGETED CALLS TO CONGRESS AGAINST AMNESTY.



BE PREPARED FOR AMNESTY SUPPORTERS TO INSTRUCT THEIR STAFF TO LIE TO YOU AS USUAL CLAIMING "we don't support amnesty"



Step 1: ALIPAC's Distinctive Targets for your to focus on



We have compiled a list of the first 40 of the 85 Republican members of the US House that just voted with pro amnesty speaker John Boehner and Barack Obama on the fiscal cliff fiasco.



We feel that this group contains the GOP sellouts that are most likely promising the White House they will defect to the Democrats on a vote for Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty (CIRA).



By focusing our calls and e-mails on this group we can increase the efficiency and power of our lobbying.



Please access this list to use for your calls.



ALIPAC's List of House Republicans That May Support Obama's Amnesty for Illegal Aliens

http://www.alipac.us/f9/house-republ...aliens-270619/





Step 2: Hit them Fast and Solidly With your message



We want you to call these offices with an accusatory tone and put them on notice. Your goal is to flood their offices with "calls against amnesty" so the lawmaker will hear of your efforts.



We also want an answer from their staff, but the answer may be tricky. Most will likely tell you that they oppose Amnesty and we need you to clarify for us and help us code our list of targets as "opposes" or "supporters" Comprehensive Immigration Reform.



Sample message



"I'm calling because I have been told that Congressman _________ may support amnesty for illegal aliens after voting with Obama on the fiscal cliff. Does Congressman __________ support or oppose Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty for illegal aliens?"



If they say Yes / Supports say...



"I hope Congressman ________ will change his position because Comprehensive Immigration reform Amnesty for illegal aliens will encourage more illegal immigration, steal my vote in future elections, cost more Americans their jobs, increase government dependents, further divide and destabilize America, and destroy and future hopes of immigration or border law enforcement."



If they say No / Opposes say...



"Good, make sure Congressman _______ knows that opposing Amnesty means opposing any form of legalization for illegal immigrants currently in America and that Congress needs to focus on overriding Obama's unlawful amnesty decrees and enforcing our existing border and immigration laws which will help American workers instead of appeasing illegal aliens and their supporters."



Remember to call to deliver your message, then send in a written version.





Step 3: Report back!



We need to know what these offices are saying back to you. Please report the results of your calls or any feedback of interest beneath the list of targets here. Using your feedback we will begin to add codes of Supports and Opposes to this list. Regardless of what codes appear, keep calling this target list.



Everyone should call a minimum of 5 offices on the list and call the whole list if possible.



Post your responses and feedback on the list here....

http://www.alipac.us/f9/house-republ...aliens-270619/





We have given you new and distinctive targets for your activism against illegal immigration and amnesty and a simple 1, 2, 3 process to use with our online activists standing by to assist you 24/7 in the forums of http://www.alipac.us



Now we need you to pull together the time to get on the phones with us right away and to spread the word to others asking for their help by email and social media.



ALIPAC will soon launch out press releases and go forth to rally more Americans to our efforts.



Let's pick up those phones!



Let's charge forward in defense of America!



Let's Stop Amnesty 2013 together today!





William Gheen and The ALIPAC Team

www.alipac.us

I Dropped the "Shop-Till-You-Drop" Addiction

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about "shop till you drop." This follows this post about America's debt crisis.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

I Dropped the "Shop-Till-You-Drop" Addiction

by Anonymous Female





As a retired person without a job and without hobbies, and living in one of the affluent nations of the western world, I had gradually developed a psychological addiction—an obsession for shopping.



After my retirement, I began to work out regularly at a gym. But that gym happened to be within a shopping mall. This was an environment which gradually developed into a tempting “set up” for me to combine my trips to the gym with slipping in a little shopping.



Motivated by the retail marketing strategies to lure me through discounts, sales and coupons, I started to become obsessed with looking for “bargains.” Whether I needed the item became unimportant to me—it was the excitement of getting those bargains! What a bargain! What a deal! What a “sale”! If I liked one in a particular color, my reasoning went that surely I’d love even more of them in several colors!



I began recognizing my problem



Then one day when entering a back room of my house, I recognized that I had a problem. I recognized the problem for what it was when I saw that room loaded with a well-organized supply of ladies’ clothing. It looked like a miniature ladies’ clothing store! I realized that I couldn’t wear all of the clothes there in several lifetimes!! This stirred me to soul-searching and action. Even though I consider myself to be a logical person, I realized that this behavior was totally illogical.



I quickly realized that I had a spiritual problem—I was violating the Tenth Commandment against coveting. I was lusting for things I didn’t need, couldn’t afford, and didn't have room for. I began fervently asking God to forgive me and help me.



I thought about seeking professional “shopping addiction therapy.” That would not have been bad, but as it turned out, I didn’t require it.



It was so embarrassing for me to tell friends and family. One family member tried to help by just telling me to “stop it.” But that didn’t help because my addiction had become too strong to solve that simply.



I analyzed my family background as a possible contributing factor. Though we owned a house while I was growing up, we didn’t have much money for personal enjoyment. My dad kept tight control of the budget, allocating money to my mom only for family essentials, and not for personal items. Even though that background was no excuse for my behavior, could it be that I was overcompensating for my mother's restricted situation? Lamentations 3:40 says, “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD,” and this was part of my self-examination.



My road to recovery



I recognized that I didn’t need another thing. I had everything I could possibly need, physically speaking. I needed to “get a life.” So a struggle against this compulsion began within me.



For a short time I became ill, and that distracted me from shopping.



Then I took the many credit cards out of my purse, and left them at home in a desk drawer. But that wasn’t a sure solution because those retail stores told me that for my convenience, all I needed was to give them my Social Security number to make a purchase. They sure make it easy for anyone to spend money!



Those retail stores still send me “sale” coupons in the mail, but I ignore them and let them expire. Every day I look into that back room and just say to myself, “I don’t need another thing.”



I’ve made huge progress. I strongly believe that God has answered my prayers by removing this obsession to “shop till I drop”. Since early 2011 I’ve not had a compulsive desire to go shopping. But I take it one day at a time. [Editor’s note: Be aware that God does not promise to remove temptations every time someone prays for help. However, God does promise to help us if we are praying earnestly in faith while putting forth major effort to overcome.]



Since I became determined to break free from this addiction, I’ve been studying the Bible more and my mind has been opened to greater biblical understanding. This leads me to believe that my shopping obsession had been hindering my spiritual growth. What Jesus described in Mark 4:19 had come to fit me perfectly: “And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” My desires (lusts) for “things” had become raw materialism.



My overcoming of this shopping addiction has led me to a greater understanding of and appreciation for Christ’s words: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).



[Although the author chose to be anonymous, she is very willing to talk to anyone who is struggling with a shopping addiction. If you are struggling, you can notify the BF managing editor and he will put you in contact with the author.]

http://breakingfree.ucg.org/content/i-dropped-shop-till-you-drop-addiction





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America's National Debt: Growing With No End in Sight

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about America's debt crisis. This follows this post about the New Civil War. This follows this post about the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah splitting up after Solomon's rein.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

America's National Debt: Growing With No End in Sight




article by Mike Kelley





In the last few months and years the United States has racked up some impressive records, but none of them are good. Its debt is exploding at unprecedented rates. What's behind the problem, and where is it leading?







Source: iStockphotoAmerica's fixation with the slug-fest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney and the looming presidential election obscures a huge but little-noticed milestone. Well before Election Day, the debt of the United States will surpass the U.S. economy's entire national output, or gross domestic product (GDP).



You read that right. America's national debt, at $15.79 trillion at mid-year, has surpassed the entire output of the sluggish U.S. economy. And it's still growing fast.



This has happened only once before in U.S. history. In the all-out effort to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in World War II, the United States racked up a national debt that exceeded the nation's yearly output. But that debt was quickly repaid following the war, as millions of U.S. soldiers returned home and found jobs in an economy that quickly turned from a war footing to domestic consumption. With a booming economy, the debt stabilized and fell rapidly as a percentage of GDP until, by 1973, the debt had shrunk to 26 percent of GDP.



But that's not happening today. Instead, expenditures for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, interest on the national debt and other aspects of federal spending keep growing with no end in sight. An increasingly polarized Congress, embroiled in election-year politics, seems powerless to make the policy changes needed to stop the hemorrhage of red ink.



An unprecedented debt binge

Most Americans seem unaware of just how fast the debt has grown. In 1950, five years after the end of World War II, the national debt was only $260 billion. The debt grew to $5.7 trillion or about 40 percent of GDP by 2000, fueled by the Vietnam War in the 1970s, major defense spending increases in the 1980s and rising numbers of Americans retiring and drawing Social Security and Medicare.



Since 2000, however, the debt growth rate has exploded, the result of massive expenditures in response to the September 2001 terrorist attacks and huge deficit spending to stimulate the U.S. economy beginning in 2008. From fiscal 2003 through 2007, the debt grew by roughly $500 billion a year, but debt exploded beginning in fiscal 2008 as deficits ballooned, averaging almost $1.5 trillion from fiscal 2008 through 2011.



Consider this: The growth in the debt of nearly $6 trillion in the past four years roughly equals all the debt accumulated from the creation of the United States in 1776 to 2000!



In light of these facts, it's hard to believe that in 2001 the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecast a total elimination of the federal debt by 2006 and a $2.3 billion surplus by 2011!



Since fiscal 2010, the government has borrowed nearly 40 cents of every dollar it spends. A family spending at this reckless rate would soon go into bankruptcy, but Congress and the president skirt the impending crisis by merely issuing more debt and raising the debt ceiling.



More than a year has passed since Congress passed the Budget Control Act in an effort to get out ahead of the debt debacle. The mandated severe cuts in overall spending amounted to $1.7 trillion over the next decade, but this would barely make a dent in the $16 trillion debt. Congress, however, has returned to congressional deadlock over the debt crisis, and even the president's own fiscal reform plans show the debt continuing to rise for decades.



The fiscal crisis of last summer combined with the failure of Congress and the president to come to terms over the debt prompted Standard and Poor's, the major international credit rating agency, to downgrade the credit rating of the United States from AAA to AA+. It was the first downgrade since the AAA rating had been issued in 1917, and many observers predict the rating could fall to AA within two years if something isn't done to rein in the explosive growth of the U.S. debt.



Most of that debt is held by other nations, with China, at $1.15 trillion, the largest single holder. Many Chinese are nervous about the huge amount of debt owed them, and last year's downgrades have only added to their feelings that it might not be wise to continue investing in U.S. government securities.



Is this what Americans really want?

What has led to this state of affairs? As is most often the case, complex problems often have several causes. Most economists and observers, however, point to the growing welfare state status as the single largest factor contributing to the rapid growth of U.S. national debt.



Today, half of all American households open their mailboxes each month and pull out a check from a supposedly rich uncle—Uncle Sam. Retiring baby boomers and rapid increases in the elderly population have swelled recipients of Social Security and Medicare, while a recent spike in the U.S. poverty rate has boosted Medicaid expenditures.



Nearly 1 in 7 Americans receives food stamps. That program, begun in the 1960s to fight poverty in the eastern part of the United States and the country's inner cities, now feeds more than 47 million Americans, which is greater than the combined populations of Florida, Texas, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The food stamp program has grown 70 percent just since 2007. Mean-while, 8.7 million Americans—more than the population of New York City—are receiving federal disability payments, a 17 percent increase in the last 3½ years.



Growth rates of the "Big Three" social programs—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—are projected to continue to increase. Each year, more of the 76 million baby boomers retire and join the ranks of Social Security recipients. Americans of the "greatest generation" who are still living are in their upper 80s and older, when the need for medical services is the greatest. And a sluggish economy will keep joblessness and poverty high, ensuring that millions will continue to receive Medicaid health-care and unemployment benefits.



Most baby boomers enter retirement blithely confident that their check will arrive each month. But they fail to consider that $2.7 trillion of the nearly $16 trillion debt represents money borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund to cover other government expenditures. That contributes to another problem that worries millions of baby boomers—various studies show the trust fund to be headed for insolvency as early as 2018.



Looming crisis in unfunded liabilities

America is learning the meaning of the term "unfunded liability" as it applies to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office estimates current obligations under these three programs at about $45.8 trillion, with $7.7 trillion allotted to Social Security and the rest to Medicare and Medicaid.



Certainly federal policy makers are aware of the looming crisis. On June 17, 2008, CBO director Peter Orszag gave this assessment in his statement to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee: "Future growth in spending per beneficiary for Medicare and Medicaid—the federal government's major health care programs—will be the most important determinant of long-term trends in federal spending. Changing those programs in ways that reduce the growth of costs—which will be difficult, in part because of the complexity of health policy choices—is ultimately the nation's central long-term challenge in setting federal fiscal policy" ("The Long-Term Budget Outlook and Options for Slowing the Growth of Health Care Costs.")



A bland but true assessment of a major looming crisis.



If present trends continue, the end of this decade will see a federal budget in which the vast majority of federal tax revenue will be eaten up by interest on the debt and payouts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Little would be left for vital national defense and hundreds of other areas of the federal government.



All this debt portends slower U.S. economic growth. A recent study by economists Carmen Reinhart of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University calculated that countries with public debt above 90 percent of GDP grow by an average of 1.3 percentage points per year slower than less indebted countries. The drag of debt will likely cause slower economic growth to an already sluggish economy, making it more difficult for the economy to "grow out" of serious fiscal problems.



In a decision that shocked millions of Americans, the U.S. Supreme Court in late June 2012 narrowly upheld the Obama Administration's health-care reform act. This legislation, whose centerpiece is the mandate that all Americans must have health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty, will expand the power of government in the lives of Americans and impose a new "tax" that will only spur the growth of the national debt.



And already some states are balking at the hundreds of millions of dollars in increased spending that will be added to stretched state budgets to cover expansion of Medicaid costs called for in the president's health-care act.



Is this what Americans really want? A growing chorus of voices sees these facts and wonders how America can remain the world power it has been for much of the past century. They look abroad and notice the growing economic and political strength of China, India, Brazil, and other rapidly growing economic powerhouses. The 20th century was America's century, but the 21st century will see the United States eclipsed by some other power.



Change to national character

A number of observers of American life have noted a change to the country's national character in recent years. Many have commented on how millions of Americans increasingly look to government to solve all financial, medical and even emotional problems. Increasingly, Americans are happy to see government play an ever-larger role in daily life, and see no problem with the nation taking on increasing debt to meet real or perceived needs.



Of course, that debt must eventually be repaid. The nearly $16 trillion federal debt, which will surpass $20 trillion within five years at present growth rates, presents a huge burden to children and grandchildren not yet even born.



For generations, Americans have looked forward to working productively through their lives, then at death transferring most of that wealth to their children. It's a principle set forth in your Bible. Proverbs 13:22A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.



See All... says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children."



Of course, you can't leave an inheritance unless you've accumulated something. But, sadly, more and more Americans today die penniless or even in debt, with nothing to show for a lifetime of work.



It's likely that America's national legacy of debt will lower living standards for future generations by reducing the stock of capital available for future investment, a concern being voiced by a growing legion of economists.



Economists such as MIT professor and Nobel Laureate Robert Solow are worried that saddling future generations with massive debt payments will reduce savings and investments needed to fund new factories and infrastructure investments. The result? Slower economic growth, fewer jobs and lower living standards for generations to come. Edward Mantell of Pace University in New York states it simply: "Instead of transferring our wealth to them, we are transferring their wealth to us."



But it seems that people are unable to see beyond their own immediate needs and wants, perfectly content to allow children and grandchildren to bear the costs of profligate spending today. Instead of leaving a national legacy of prosperity, we may well leave a legacy of higher taxes and reduced economic growth as they struggle to pay the interest on the massive national debt bill we have created.



Does your Bible say anything about debt?

Your Bible, believe it or not, has something to say about America's economic condition. It would be worth your time to study Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, known as the "blessings and curses" chapters.



One very critical verse, Deuteronomy 28:44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.



See All..., is especially revealing. Referring to foreigners, it says, "He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail." For about a quarter century after World War II, America was the world's greatest creditor nation. But the situation has completely reversed over the last 30 years as the United States has become the greatest debtor nation in human history.



We should ask ourselves: Does Deuteronomy 28:44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.



See All... seem to read exactly like America's situation today?



Notice also Proverbs 22:7The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.



See All...: "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." A popular current restatement of the Golden Rule is expressed as "he who has the gold makes the rules." As of mid-2010, some 52 percent of U.S. foreign debt was held by foreign nations or foreign citizens. Rival or hostile nations such as China, Iran, Russia, Venezuela and Libya own in aggregate more than $2 trillion of our debt, a fact unknown to the average American today.



Just as many Americans find it so easy to swipe a credit card, Washington finds it so easy to issue government notes and bonds to cover more government spending. It all seems so simple, so painless—at least until the bill becomes due. And just as breaking the credit card habit is so painful to many individuals, so is breaking a borrowing habit painful for a nation.



Today, we see the United States operating under a curse, a curse foretold in your own Bible.



As a nation, by collective choices over the past 50 years, the United States has created a debt unlike anything else in human history. Your Bible reveals that this massive debt is a major factor that will ultimately lead to the demise of America as a free nation.



But there truly is good news. A new economic world order is on its way—not that of the evil end-time system foretold in Scripture, but one beyond that in a new age that will soon dawn. It will be like nothing you have imagined. You can read about it in other articles in this issue. And although America's debt has grown so huge that it will likely cripple the nation's future, you can ensure your place in the exciting, prosperous world to come. We hope and pray you'll take the necessary steps in that direction!

.

Winning the New Civil War

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the New Civil War. This follows this post about the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah splitting up after Solomon's rein.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

How Can You Counter a Degenerating Culture?






article by Ralph Levy





As a reader of The Good News, you are probably disturbed by many of the values of the culture around you—and with good reason. How can we counter the degrading influence of much of popular culture?



Culture: It's a word we hear a lot about these days. But what does it mean? One dictionary defines culture as "the particular system of art, thought and customs of a society." Author Robert Dugan offers a broader definition. He defines culture as "the ways of thinking, living and behaving that define a people and underlie its achievements. It is a nation's collective mind, its sense of right and wrong, the way it perceives reality, and its definition of self. Culture is the morals and habits a mother strives to instill in her children. It is the obligations we acknowledge toward our neighbors, our community, and our government . . . It is the standards we set and enforce for ourselves and for others: our definitions of duty, honor and character. It is our collective conscience" ( Winning the New Civil War ,  p. 169).



Does popular culture—and our attitude toward it—matter?



The Bible contains a disturbing prophetic glimpse of culture in the last days of human civilization. The apostle Paul was inspired to write of the last days as "perilous times" (2 Timothy 3:1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.



See All...). He describes that age as a time when "men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God . . ." (verses 2-4).



Could Paul have been writing of our culture, that of the Western world in 2002? He certainly seems to describe a culture bent on pleasure, entertainment, vanity, greed and utter selfishness at the expense of stable marriages, families and other relationships.



Consider a lesson from history. Sociologist and historian Carle Zimmerman, in his 1947 book Family and Civilization , recorded his observations as he compared the disintegration of various cultures with their parallel decline of family life:



"Eight specific patterns of domestic behavior typified the downward spiral of each culture Zimmerman studied: Marriage lost its sacredness [and] is frequently broken by divorce; traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost; feminist movements abound; there is increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general; an acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity and rebellion occur; there is refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibilities; a growing desire for, and acceptance of, adultery is evident; there is increasing interest in, and spread of, sexual perversions and sex-related crimes" (quoted in Confident Living , November 1987, p. 34).



Values-neutral philosophy

A major change over recent decades is that Western culture has become what sociologists call values-neutral .Advocates of this approach argue that we should not adopt any system defining right and wrong and expect all to adhere to it because no one has a right to impose his values on others.



A former U.S. senator from Indiana, Daniel Coats, reported: "I recently saw the story of a high school values clarification class conducted by a teacher in Teaneck, New Jersey. A girl in the class had found a purse containing $1,000 and returned it to its owner. The teacher asked for the class's reaction. Every single one of her fellow students concluded the girl had been 'foolish.'



"Most of the students contended that if someone is careless, they should be punished. When the teacher was asked what he had said to the students, he responded, 'Well, of course, I didn't say anything. If I come from the position of what is right and wrong, then I'm not their counselor. I can't impose my views'" ( Imprimis , September 1991).



But if figures in authority won't—or can't—teach standards to children, where will they learn them? In all too many cases, from the popular culture around them.



Tragically, most Americans no longer believe in the concept of absolute moral truths. A George Barna poll conducted late last year found that only 22 percent of American adults—and a minuscule 6 percent of teenagers—believed that "there are moral absolutes that are unchanging." Sadly, only 32 percent of those who described themselves as Christians believed in absolute moral standards, and only 26 percent cited the Bible as the source of their moral principles.



'Impossible without faith in God'

How are we to establish an ethical and moral cultural base for our societies and families? Previous articles in The Good News have highlighted the biblical foundation of true values and the fact that, when the United States was founded, its leaders unashamedly accepted many of the principles of Scripture as the basis for its laws and culture.



Reminiscent of such long-abandoned values, columnist Georgie Anne Geyer wrote: "I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to have a moral community or nation without faith in God, because without it everything rapidly comes down to 'me,' and 'me' alone is meaningless. "Today Americans have . . . stopped acting on what they knew was right—and 'me' has become the measure of everything.



However, moral societies are the only ones that work . If anyone thinks there is not a direct and invaluable relationship between personal integrity in a society and that society's prosperity, that person has simply not studied history.



"And this should not surprise us. Great moral societies, built upon faith in God, honor, trust, and the law, blossom because they are harmonious; because people love or at least respect their fellowman; because, finally, they have a common belief in something beyond themselves . . . Alexis de Tocqueville said it best when he realized even at the very beginning of our national life, 'America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great'" ( Bits & Pieces , Sept. 17, 1992, pp. 23-24, emphasis added).



These sentiments were echoed by Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, when she unexpectedly defected from Russia to the United States.



Why did she defect? In her own words: "I found it impossible to exist without God in one's heart. I came to that conclusion myself, without anybody's help or preaching.



That was a great change because since that moment the main dogmas of Communism lost their significance for me. I have come here to seek the self-expression that has been denied me for so long in Russia" (quoted in Morning Glory , Feb. 5, 1994).



It is faith in God that provides the anchor for a culture. Without it we are cast adrift, lost in a sea of values neutrality or hedonism and robbed of any method of determining right from wrong. The result is a culture that staggers like a drunkard unable to find the wall.



Crumbling morality threatens a nation

The dramatic effects of the Western cultural shift are best illustrated by contrasting social trends. Consider some changes over a 50-year period: "In New York City in 1943, 3 percent of all births were illegitimate. There were 44 homicides by gunshot. In 1992, 1,499 people died of gunshot. 45 percent of births in 1993 were illegitimate. Nationwide, nearly 30 percent of all babies today come home fatherless, 68 percent in Washington, D.C." (Gary Bauer, Family Research Council letter, Nov. 4, 1993).



William Bennett, former U.S. secretary of education, published a book in 1999 titled The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators . Here are a few of the statistics he presented, comparing life in 1997 with 1960:



•Violent crime increased by 467 percent.

•Illegitimate births were up 461 percent.

•Divorces rose by 100 percent.

•Children living in single-parent homes increased more than 200 percent.

•Teenage suicides were up more than 100 percent.

•SAT scores dropped by almost 60 points.

Finally, consider the result of a survey conducted in 1988 by the Rhode Island Rape Crisis Center. About 1,700 students between the sixth and ninth grades attended adolescent assault-awareness classes conducted in schools across the state. Each boy and girl was asked whether a man should have a right to force a woman to have sexual intercourse if he had spent money on her.



The shocking results? Nearly 25 percent of the boys and 16 percent of the girls said "Yes." Sixty-five percent of the boys and 47 percent of the girls in the seventh through ninth grades said it is permissible for a man to force a woman to have sex with him if they have dated for six months or longer (James Dobson and Gary Bauer, "Children at Risk," Word , 1990, pp. 258-259).



Influence on Christians?

Let's not carelessly assume these trends have no effect on those who describe themselves as Christians. The Community Impact Seminar: Focus on the Family reported that two out of every five self-identified Christians say you may do anything you want just as long as you don't hurt anyone else.



In New Testament times, the grinding effect of a permissive, anything-goes popular culture was illustrated by the story of the Church of God congregation in the Greek city of Corinth. Located on a natural harbor and at the intersections of several major trade routes, the city was quite prosperous.



But tragically, like the city of Sodom centuries before (Genesis 13:13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.



See All...; Ezekiel 16:49-50 [49] Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

[50] And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.





See All...), Corinth had allowed its wealth to lure many of its inhabitants into immorality. So legendary had this city become that it even gave its name to the term corinthianize , meaning to act in an immoral way.



Christians are not immune to their cultural surroundings. The Corinthians reflected the loose, values-neutral backdrop of their city in their own moral carelessness.



The recorded story of the congregation in Corinth tells us of a man who was cohabiting with his stepmother (1 Corinthians 5:1It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.



See All...), a sin that was tolerated—or perhaps even condoned—by many in the church (verse 2). The values of Corinthian society had affected them to the point that they would tolerate this kind of degeneracy—much to their shame.



You can also read of their tendency to allow their contentions to boil over in lawsuits (1 Corinthians 6) and their failure to remain faithful to their marriage vows (chapter 7). A sectarian, individualistic spirit (chapter 3), and drunkenness at the solemn occasion of the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:17-22 [17] Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

[18] For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

[19] For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

[20] When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.

[21] For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

[22] What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.





See All...), were among the many spiritual weaknesses of the Corinthians.



Paul had to sternly correct these sins and several others. No, these Christians were not immune to the corroding influences in their culture, just as Christians today aren't immune to their culture.



Countering the culture

So what can you do?



First, you have to recognize the influence of popular culture on all aspects of your life.



What manner of person would you have been if you had been born in another place and another time? How are you different now because of the culture around you?



Familiarizing yourself with the history of our cultures, and with the changing value systems of the modern world, will allow you to begin to appreciate the impact of the time and place of your birth.



Second, you must develop moral and ethical convictions . What do you allow yourself to do? What has shaped your standards and morals, your values? Do you recognize there is a cause and purpose much greater than you, much greater than life itself?



There are indeed proper definitions for the terms right and wrong , sin and righteousness . Those definitions are provided in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Studying that book was once commonplace. Your studying it now will provide you a moral and cultural anchor.



Third, diminish your concern about what others will think . There is no point in worrying about them, because convictions never bring universal approval.



Those who accept a moral code derived from the Holy Scriptures will find themselves opposed by many (though not by all). Yet your concern needs to be not what people think, but what your Creator thinks.



Finally, stand up for what you believe .



Remember the saying: If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. The courage to stand up for what's right may carry a price tag in the short term, but it will reap valuable returns in your character over the course of this life and into eternity. GN

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"To Your Tents, O Israel!"

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah splitting up after Solomon's rein. This follows this post about the war on morality! For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

Profiles of Faith: Jeroboam - King of the Northern Ten Tribes


article by Jerold Aust





Many in the mainstream Christian world have not learned this vital lesson from the life of King Jeroboam. The practices he set in motion—substituting his own days, methods and kinds of worship for those God commanded—have continued down to this day.



Jeroboam, an effective administrator under King Solomon, pleaded Israel's cause before Solomon's son and successor, Rehoboam: "Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you" (1 Kings 12:4Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.



See All...).



Jeroboam, chosen spokesman for most of the tribes of Israel, addressed Rehoboam at Shechem, not Jerusalem. That their meeting was in this northern city added to Rehoboam's troubles, for he knew the northern tribes were chafing at the heavy-handed tax and labor policies administered from Jerusalem.



Under Solomon's long and peaceful rule, Israel had lived in the lap of luxury, attributable at least in part to a heavy tax burden that allowed Israel to militarily and economically dominate the area and control its profitable trade routes. But this tax burden eventually generated considerable resentment among the people.



Rehoboam wanted to keep his father's affluent kingdom intact. But Jeroboam had different ideas: He planned to rule over a new kingdom to be formed from 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel, and Rehoboam unwittingly played right into his hands.



King Rehoboam needed a little time to consider his position and determine his response: "Depart for three days, then come back to me" (verse 5).



In the privacy of his court, Rehoboam turned to the elders who had counseled his father and asked: "How do you advise me to answer these people?"



The elders answered wisely: "If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever" (verses 6-7).



This is wise advice in any age, particularly so at such a critical time.



Although Rehoboam was the son of the wisest of men, he didn't inherit his father's wisdom: "But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. And he said to them, 'What advice do you give? ...' Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, 'Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us" ... "[But, he replied] whereas my father laid a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!' " (verses 8-11).



The third day Jeroboam and other representatives returned to Rehoboam. "Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men ..." (verses 13-14).



Rehoboam's abrasive words quickly drove a wedge among the 12 tribes: "Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: 'What share have we in David [Rehoboam's grandfather]? ... To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!' So Israel departed to their tents" (verse 16).



The northern 10 tribes proclaimed Jeroboam king over their newly formed kingdom. Rehoboam was left with only two tribes—Judah and Benjamin—along with a good portion of the tribe of Levi, which was interspersed among all the other tribes of Israel. Thus Israel was split into two kingdoms: Israel in the north, ruled by Jeroboam, and Judah in the south, ruled by Rehoboam from Jerusalem.



Jeroboam's Background

Jeroboam had significantly gained prominence during King Solomon's reign. "The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph" (1 Kings 11:28And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.



See All...).



First-century Jewish historian Josephus adds further details: "... When Solomon saw that he was of an active and bold disposition, he made him the curator of the walls which he built round about Jerusalem; and he took such care of those works, and the king approved of his behaviour, and gave him, as a reward for the same, the charge of the tribe of Joseph" ( Antiquities of the Jews, book VIII, chapter vii, section 7).



However, relations between Solomon and Jeroboam would not remain so respectful and peaceable.



As Solomon grew older he fell increasingly into idolatrous worship. He so disgraced himself through his worship of idols that God rebuked him: "I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant [Jeroboam]" (1 Kings 11:11Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.



See All...).



Jeroboam's ascendancy wasn't the product of his own righteousness but came about, rather ironically, by Solomon's idolatry.



A Message from God

Privately the prophet Ahijah revealed to Jeroboam God's intention to make him the ruler of a new kingdom: "... When Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem ... the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.



"And he said to Jeroboam, 'Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you ... because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David." ' " (1 Kings 11:29-33 [29] And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:

[30] And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

[31] And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

[32] (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

[33] Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.





See All...).



Here we see the reason for the kingdom of Israel splitting into two nations: idolatrous worship, or the rejection of the manner of worship God had prescribed in His Word.



Ahijah continued God's message: "However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and give it to you—ten tribes ... So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel" ' " (1 Kings 11:34-37 [34] Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:

[35] But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.

[36] And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

[37] And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.





See All...).



Josephus complements the biblical account: "Being a young man of warm temper, and ambitious of greatness, he could not be quiet." Jeroboam decided to seek control of the northern tribes immediately, and "he endeavored to persuade the people to forsake Solomon, to make a disturbance, and to bring the government over to himself" ( Antiquities of the Jews, book VIII, chapter vii, section 8). Solomon, who learned of Jeroboam's subversive design, responded by trying to kill him. But Jeroboam fled to Egypt, where he remained until the king died (1 Kings 11:40Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.



See All...).



Confrontation with Rehoboam

After Solomon's death and Rehoboam's ascension of the throne, Jeroboam's countrymen summoned him from Egypt. Shortly thereafter he and Rehoboam had the confrontation.



After the northern 10 tribes announced their intention to reject the House of David, Rehoboam became desperate: "... He assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.



"But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 'Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, "Thus says the Lord: 'You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.'...' Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, according to the word of the Lord" (1 Kings 12:22-24 [22] But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

[23] Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,

[24] Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.





See All...).



Jeroboam: The Good and the Bad

Jeroboam had a golden opportunity to succeed, even during a time of great division. The Bible says little of his early life, although his parents are named. His father, Nebat was deceased, for Scripture identifies his mother, Zeruah, as a widow (1 Kings 11:26And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.



See All...).



Jeroboam was from the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.



See All...), one of the most powerful tribes among the 12. He was talented, ambitious, brave and industrious in his responsibilities. Though Jeroboam showed himself diligent in his early duties, his weaknesses eventually grew apparent.



In one of his first acts, Jeroboam chose Shechem—between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim in northern Israel—as his new capital and set about rebuilding and fortifying it (1 Kings 12:25Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.



See All...). Shechem's strategic location was geographically as well as religiously significant. Its religious ties went back not only to the patriarchs but to the Canaanites. Jeroboam sought to distance himself and the people from the influence of the kings of Judah in Jerusalem (verses 26-27).



Jeroboam was also apprehensive about his people's religious life, which centered around the temple and priesthood in Jerusalem. He devised a cunning plan, creating two golden calves for the people to worship, and strategically placed them at the northern and southern ends of the country (verses 28-29). The one in the south he placed at Bethel, on the main road to Jerusalem. Those among the northern tribes who intended to travel to Jerusalem for God's feasts (Leviticus 23) then could be easily diverted to worship at Bethel instead.



Jeroboam also established idolatrous worship on high places and appointed his own priests from other than the tribe of Levi (1 Kings 12:31And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.



See All...). Perhaps his greatest single change was to tamper with God's annual Holy Days. Instead of observing the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month as God had commanded, Jeroboam instituted an alternate feast in the eighth month, "in the month which he had devised in his own heart" (verse 33).



The king's terrible spiritual blunders were to bring untold suffering on the House of Israel and Israel's descendants. Under Jeroboam's leadership the northern tribes soon drifted away from the pattern of religious worship God had commanded. It was bad enough before the national schism (1 Kings 11:30-33 [30] And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

[31] And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

[32] (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

[33] Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.





See All...), but the degeneration only worsened after the nation separated. In the south religious worship and morality similarly suffered a sharp decline (1 Kings 14:22-24 [22] And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.

[23] For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

[24] And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.





See All...).



Degeneracy and Destruction

Jeroboam's counterfeit religion, with its own priesthood, gods and religious festivals and observances, was destined to play a major role in Israel's downfall.



Through Ahijah God had encouraged Jeroboam to rule properly: "... You shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you" (1 Kings 11:37-38 [37] And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.

[38] And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.





See All...).



But Jeroboam failed to exploit his remarkable opportunity. Rather, he instituted an idolatrous form of worship as the official religion of the new kingdom. In spite of God's warnings, Jeroboam refused to turn from his idolatrous ways.



God pronounced a sobering final edict against Jeroboam: "Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam ..." (1 Kings 14:7-10 [7] Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,

[8] And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;

[9] But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:

[10] Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.





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A Legacy of Tragedy

Summarizing Jeroboam's and his successors' rule, the Bible says: "Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, until the Lord removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day" (2 Kings 17:21-23 [21] For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.

[22] For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

[23] Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.





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So Jeroboam's sins had far-reaching consequences. They led to the removal of God's blessings on the 10-tribed nation because not one of Israel's kings who followed Jeroboam initiated the necessary reforms that would have led the nation back to God's way of worship. Instead, all continued in his sins (2 Kings 3:3Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.



See All...; 10:29; 13:2; etc.). God does not give us a choice on how we are to worship Him (Deuteronomy 12:32What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.



See All...). He gives us a choice of whether we will worship Him according to the instructions He has given.



Israel was instructed to worship the Eternal God, not two golden calves. God's people were told that the Feast of Tabernacles was to be observed in the seventh month of the year, not the eighth month. Not one of Israel's kings restored the true worship of God. The result was a horrific national captivity for all 10 tribes.



Many in the mainstream Christian world have not learned this vital lesson from the life of King Jeroboam. The practices he set in motion—substituting his own days, methods and kinds of worship for those God commanded—have continued down to this day.



God tells us in His Word when and on which days we are to worship. He does not want us to invent our own special festivals or borrow them from the pagan practices of yesteryear. (If you are not already familiar with the true biblical Sabbaths, both weekly and annual, request our two free booklets Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest and God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind .) GN

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