The Suicide of Rome

In the end, Rome fell because it could not defend its borders against the pagan hoards which rushed down out of what is now Europe. Darkness overwhelmed the light of the once great power like a cloud of killer moths to a candle. The military was overextended, sickness from lead pipes strained civil order and decency, and the unity and resolve of the once great empire sunk in the quicksand of political infighting. Finally, cultural depravity destroyed the will of the people to be anything but consumers of pleasure. 

In a book entitled, Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West (376 – 568), historian Guy Halsall commented, “The Roman Empire was not murdered and nor did it die a natural death; it accidentally committed suicide.” 

With all my heart, I believe that if the United States of America does not address the policies of the government which shape our culture, like Rome, we will ultimately find ourselves on the trash pile of history.

Policy Versus Personality

You may have noticed that I said “policies” and not “personalities.” This is intentional. In the coming months, we will elect a new president, who will write and support policy which will determine the direction of our culture, economy, military, education system, justice system, and government. And that will be our world and the world of our children.

Opposition forces more interested in power distribution and political longevity will try to make this election about personality. The media will further that narrative. Globalists who have bought both those elected officials and the media will impose themselves on the people, and the coming elections will resemble a high school election of homecoming king and queen. 

Or, and this is my prayer, we the people will focus on policies which most closely align with biblical and traditional American values, ignoring divisive, un-American political flunkies and media drones. Further, even though it might take a little work and intestinal fortitude, I pray that we will vote according to policies which would please God; policies that are in accordance with what He has written in the Bible and what He says He will bless. 

Rome tried the ways of men. Greece tried the ways of men. The Soviet Union, Venezuela, Cuba, and China have tried the ways of men. All are a testament to darkness, enslavement, and failure.

Misleading Soundbites

In voting according to the Bible, we would be voting according to the Judeo-Christian faith. Upon hearing this motion, immediately, people will say, “Church and state should be separate.” This is nonsense. It’s dangerous nonsense. That soundbite comes from a letter written in 1802 by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Convention explaining to them that they had complete religious freedom as granted by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech….” 

Jefferson explained that church must be protected from government, not the other way around. Would a nation under God not want God to speak into the affairs of that nation?

Unconstitutional Intimidation

If Americans were to vote in accordance with the Bible, since only 6 percent of the population actually reads the Bible, the results of the upcoming election would depend on American pastors to lead and teach their flocks. Prior to 1954, this was the way of things. There are volumes of sermons which were preached in this nation addressing political matters, political policies, and political personalities. This changed in 1954. 

In 1954, with the Johnson Amendment, those who prepared to lead America astray used the IRS to bully religious nonprofits, threatening to revoke their nonprofit status. Why this would scare a church, I don’t know. The congregation should tithe, tax deduction or not. Still, sadly, for the most part, the Johnson amendment has silenced American pastors, and this nation has drifted further and further away from biblical policy.

Harassed and Confused

Today, Americans devoted to their pleasures, misled by politicians and the media, and uninformed by the Bible and religious leaders vote for the only thing they understand: personality. It’s easy, it plays into our emphasis on our feelings, it lets us pretend some high moral ground or some deeper understanding, and it’s conducive to pithy, Facebook memes. It also elects men and women who push anti-American, ungodly, and Marxist policy. In this way, our perverse culture has shaped our politics and our elections have become a testimony to our ignorance, our godlessness, our laziness, our narcissism, and our short attention spans.

If this seems harsh, let me offer this, because sometimes, it’s easier to look at and judge somebody else than it is to look at ourselves. Prepare yourselves to be indignant. As a Jew, I will single out American Jews. 

Believe it or not, as antisemitic and anti-Israel as the Democrats have openly become, 69 percent of American Jews vote Democrat. With the Holocaust less than 90 years past, with Israel being attacked from all sides by murderers and rapists, when Genesis chapter 12 verse 3 promises Israel, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” how is this possible?

The answer is biblical ignorance, the humanistic belief in the agency of men versus the sovereignty of God, identity politics, and the force of culture and the media on people who claim to be believers in God.

A Painful Mirror

Christians don’t fare much better. 51 percent of Christians think they have a biblical worldview, but only 6 percent of Christians read the Bible. According to Christiansengaged.org, “Presently, there is relatively little difference between the voting patterns of people who call themselves Christians and the public at large.” Of the 90 million Christians eligible to vote in this nation, 40 million don’t vote and 15 million aren’t even registered. 

As a Jew who believes in Jesus and thinks of Christianity as the Special Operations branch of the Judeo-Christian family, I’m astounded and saddened. This dereliction of duty, this believing the enemy when he says church and state should be separate, and this malaise in the affairs of this nation and lack of concern for the future of our children is beyond my comprehension. As a Christian, as an American, and as a Marine combat veteran, I wish I still swore, because I would have some choice things to say. 

Can a Christian Vote For This?

Instead, let me ask this. Can a Christian vote for antisemitic policies when the Book of Genesis makes clear God’s plans for Israel and the world? Can a Christian vote for policies which encourage and celebrate abortion up until the moment of birth when the Bible says, “Thou shalt not murder?” Can a Christian vote for policies which open our borders to premeditated mayhem despite God’s emphasis on national borders? 

Can a Christian vote for policies which encourage able-bodied men to be idle when the Bible says, “That each person may eat, drink, and enjoy the satisfaction of their toil. This is a gift from God.” Can a Christian vote for policies which will appoint judges known for their judicial activism, violating their sworn duty to advance their personal views about public policy, when the Bible levies such stringent requirements on those who judge, saying in Leviticus 19:15, “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly?”

Can a Christian vote for policies which attack family and the rights and responsibilities of parents to educate their children in the knowledge of God, when the Bible says about God’s Commandments, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise?” (Deuteronomy 6:7). 

Can a Christian vote for policies which assert the rights of the state over the rights of parents as laws are passed requiring teachers to hide their child’s gender dysphoria from parents? Can a Christian vote for policies which support the transgender movement when Genesis 5:2 says, “He created them male and female and blessed them?” Can a Christian vote for policies which attack religious freedom, forcing doctors to perform abortions, or bakers to bake cakes for gay unions, or clergy to perform marriage ceremonies for homosexual couples, or individuals who choose not to be vaccinated on religious grounds to violate their beliefs in order to keep their jobs? 

Can you call yourself a Christian and step up to the ballot box and vote for a party and a personality which will support these policies? 

Real Faith For the Real World

We have tried it as men, asserting what we think is right over what God says is right. Since the results have been so disastrous throughout history, every time and everywhere men thought they knew better than God, should we not now bend our knee to God before there is nothing of value left of this nation?

I would never tell anybody for whom they should vote. As a Colonel in the Marines, I swore an oath “…to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.” It is the right and responsibility of every American citizen to vote according to their beliefs and their conscience. 

Let me repeat that. As an American, it’s your privilege and responsibility to vote. If you don’t vote, you have neglected your responsibility. People have all kinds of reasons, people have all kinds of excuses, but that’s the simple truth. 

I didn’t get to be a Colonel in the Marines by tiptoeing around the truth, I didn’t get to be a Colonel by not taking my duty seriously, and I won’t pretend it’s okay when other people don’t take their duty seriously. 

If you’re a Christian and you don’t vote, you have ignored your responsibility to participate in the world around you as a follower of Christ and you’re missing out on a powerful opportunity to shape that world according to biblical values. It’s not about the identities of the individuals running for office, it’s about the policies which they will support and whether or not those policies line up with biblical values.

Snatching Victory From the Jaws of Defeat

There are no perfect people, and there are no perfect candidates, but there are men and women whose policies, political records, and party affiliations let you know what they will support and encourage. Our responsibilities as Christians are to understand the Bible and the will of God in the areas of our daily life the best we can and to do everything in our power to encourage, foster, and support that will.

In the coming election, as with each election, there is a new opportunity to reverse or slow the political process which has the potential to destroy us. Regardless of what we are told, our vote makes a difference, our perspective makes a difference, and the future of this nation is in our hands. The question is, do we care enough, will we read our Bibles enough, and are we willing to sort through the policy issues enough, or will we commit national suicide by voting for personalities?

I am praying for this nation, I am praying for you, and I am praying for your family. God bless and semper fi.