President Trump and Bible prophecy

This week's Bible study will be part two of Luke chapter six

Of Blessings, Woes, and Love for our Enemies

[Luke chapter 6, verses 20-36]

To view this on my website, click here! :-)

For this week's Bible study, we'll be going over part two of Luke chapter six. It is at this point in Scripture that the venerated Sermon on the Mount begins, although it starts in chapter 5 of Matthew's gospel. But today we'll be picking up beginning at verse 20. As you recall, when we closed out last week's study Jesus had just finished healing a large crowd that had come to see him and hear him preach. Now that the healing was over and everyone's needs had evidently been met, it was time for the preaching and teaching phase of Jesus' ministry to begin. I find it quite remarkable that Jesus apparently didn't need to take a break between the healing and the preaching, although at this point our Savior must have been on his feet for hours! Jesus might have stopped long enough for a quick bite to eat, but the Bible doesn't say if he did or not. I find this to be one of many classic examples of the unknowable and never-ending love of Jesus Christ for each of us! But to stay on topic, let's begin at verse 20.

“Looking at his disciples he said, 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” (Luke 6, verses 20-21)

As we take in this portion of Luke's gospel verses by verse, I think it's important to examine both sides of this coin from Jesus' point of view. “Blessed are the poor”, means cursed are the rich! Anyone who chooses a lifetime of temporary riches, all of which will remain behind when that person has lived out their life, will get exactly what they chose. Meaning, after they die they have nothing set aside for eternity. They will be “thrown outside into darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25: 30). “Blessed are you who hunger, for you will be satisfied.” Matthew's gospel says this a little better, I think: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matt. 5: 6) We live in an incredibly unjust world, and the proof lies in the rampant inequality that currently exists, and has existed for centuries. But if we all make ourselves a people who hunger and thirst after some true righteousness, we find that righteousness to be only in Jesus Christ, the One who died to save us all, only to live again forever! Hallelujah! “Blessed are you who weep now”. Rest assured that those who have caused you sorrow will be repaid for their injury to you. Only let God take care of it, don't try to avenge yourself. It is written elsewhere in the Old Testament: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, thus says the Lord your God”.

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you, and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.” (Luke 6: verses 22-23)

Ever joined a church only to find yourself excluded or given a cold reception by other members? Ever tried to join a church only to be turned away? Trust me, both of the above have happened to me back in my fairly distant past. But what I gained from these experiences is a heightened sense of spiritual discernment that I had previously lacked. These kinds of experiences are fairly commonplace in American churches, both Protestant and Catholic, as you know. Well, Jesus is telling us all to quit being mad about feeling rejected, suck up our hurt feelings, and to grow up into being better followers! Those who rejected us will be dealt with in due time. By the same token, any Christian believer who finds themselves ostracized for their faith should give thanks to God. Moreover, when this happens and we give thanks and praise, it serves to strengthen us in our abilities to resist evil and temptation. In so doing, we strengthen our faith and affirm more strongly our belief! Then Jesus gives his apostles and the crowd gathered around them the flip side of this coin that I mentioned above.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6: verses 24-26)

What was Jesus saying in modern English? If all we want is riches, that is all we will receive. If all we want is food and comfort, if any of us really thinks we will be content with that and no more, then if any of us is willing to settle just for that little bit, why should the Lord reward us with any more? That would be like somebody willingly paying more than the sticker price for a car or truck. Since it makes no sense to pay more than we have to, then it would be equally nonsensical for the Lord to reward any of us for being willing to settle for less than the best. The same thing goes for being popular or highly respected, or for those seeking fame and fortune. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you”, and that remains ever so true to this day. And now let's conclude today's study, beginning at verse 27.

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?. Even 'sinners' lend to sinners, expecting repayment in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6: 27-36)

Confound your enemies by treating them well! Love those who hate you, do good to those who mistreat you, don't use curse or swear words against someone even if they 'cuss you out'. This is a tall order for anyone to fill, no matter how well-meaning an individual we might be. For one thing, it's noticeably counter-intuitive. We naturally react negatively towards those who react negatively towards us – it's human nature! In fact, what Jesus preached that day was that we are to do everything that is contrary to our human nature in order to live like Christ. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” That statement is one of several Jesus made here that sums up Christianity in a nutshell with these most timeless descriptions. Love your enemies, because love always conquers hate. Love them and do good things for them without qualification. Lend to them while expecting nothing in return.

After all, if God is kind even to ungrateful and wicked people, how much more will he do for those who diligently follow him and serve him without reservation? Instead, Jesus said, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” As before, there are 2 sides to this coin. The same degree of mercy and patience that we show towards others will be shown back to us when our lives are over and done with. The more mercy and patience towards children and the elderly, the disabled and handicapped, and the mentally ill and homeless we show throughout our lives, the more merciful God will be towards us through Jesus Christ his Son. But shallow and selfish individuals who live their whole lives keeping everything all to themselves while showing no due consideration for anyone else they ever came into contact with will go to everlasting punishment for their adamant refusal to try and reach out and help others, putting themselves ahead of others instead of the other way around. Let us take all these things carefully into consideration during this coming week, making a concerted effort to become a merciful and gracious people in honor of the Lord, knowing he will do the same for us when our time comes. And next week we'll move on to the 3^rd and final part of Luke chapter six.

As the Annual Orgy of Materialism Mercifully Draws to a Close.....

The Devolving of Christmas: An American Tragedy

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

To view this on my website, click here! :-)

It's that time of year again, the closing days of the holiday shopping season when people by the millions will finish spending an average of $750.00 each between now and December 31st on a bunch of cheap imported Chinese crap that nobody really needs. The worst part for American consumers is that all these inexpensive imported products from the sweat shops of the 3^rd world are designed and manufactured in such a way as to make sure the items wear out sooner rather than later in the hopes that the American consumer will go out and buy a replacement, hopefully sooner rather than later. The giant US multinational corporations have figured out that if you make a product just good enough to hold out for a little while, you can still get people to buy it even though it is made as cheaply as possible. Unfortunately for these same monstrosity corporations, the American consumer has begun to wake up and realize they have been had and that things have been this way for a long time, and they're getting a little madder about it each day. Their fury and rage first manifested itself in the Arab Spring of 2011, followed by rioting in Spain and England that summer, followed by civil unrest in Greece that has yet to completely simmer down. The civil war in Syria similarly rages on as I write this. This has been followed here in the US and Europe in the form of the Occupy Wall Street and “we are the 99%”, protest movements of which I am proud to be a part, and both of which are still very much ongoing, and most recently the Black Lives Matter movement. 

 

All I'm saying is that people everywhere have become more questioning, more critical or have even become opposed to capitalism as we know it due to what is increasingly being viewed as its predatory nature and its emphasis of profits over people. Many of us, including myself, are completely up in arms over the state of our country. The Christmas shopping season is just one symptom of capitalism gone overboard, with a mad dash to acquire more and more material things just for their own sake at a time when we are supposed to be quietly celebrating the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is indicative of a society that has lost its sense of direction and lost touch with its purpose for being. I was one of millions of people who boycotted Black Friday last month as a way to peacefully protest being forced to live in a world where the main thing that matters most seems to be how much money one can make.

I've been there and done all that. I owned a small computer store all through the 1990's and made some real good money. I never got rich, but I'm okay with that. I know what it's like to have all that, and do you know what I found out about wealth and riches? It's just a big trap, a never-ending treadmill of the pursuit of profits until it consumes your whole life, until in the end you realize that it was all just an illusion. Like a game of Monopoly, when the profit machine comes to an end (and sooner or later they all do) and the game is over, everything goes back in the box only to start all over again. That's all capitalism and the taking of profits is – one big Monopoly game where the person with the most money wins, and always at the expense of everybody else. Is it any wonder that capitalism and the taking of profits has ruined the spirit of Christmas, let alone the whole country? Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong at all with turning a nice profit, but not if it means ripping off your customers and cheating your employees!

What have we become? Like cattle and sheep headed to slaughter, we roll out at this time of the year at the bidding of shop-till-you-drop gimmicks. Meanwhile, we fight and claw for the blue light special at the various suburban box stores offering low wages and no benefits to staff. So, how much can we save? Wally World is offering 25% off, while Sneers is offering 30%. Let's run to Sneers! It's only 30 more miles down the road and we've got the gas! What about the Chinese people slaving in non union factories at pennies a day? What do they make off the deal? Who is actually winning? Is it really the mesmerized consumers teary and googly-eyed while giggling gleefully at 30, 40, and 50% off deals? Our politicians say it's the American workers. Yes, it is our right to slave part time at minimum wages and no health benefits while we shop till we drop looking for that fantastic deal. We make this statement as employees of corporations are lining the pockets of senators, congressmen and supreme-court justices in Washington D.C. while seated on presidential cabinets making decisions regarding our planet's future, our future, and our children's future. Meanwhile our consumerism is devouring the planet into what might soon become more lifeless than the moon or, God forbid, a Wall Street tycoon. Yet, mesmerized by commercials with intelligence levels less than a jackass after having a lobotomy, we roll blindly into the gates of the shopping centers, the strip malls and humongous big box stores. For example, consider the following December 2013 release from the Associated Press. 

 

"A shopper in Los Angeles pepper-sprayed her competition for an X-box and scuffles broke out elsewhere around the United States as bargain-hunters crowded malls and big-box stores in an earlier-than-usual start to the madness known as Black Friday. Toys R Us opened for the second straight year on Thanksgiving itself. And some shoppers arrived with sharp elbows. On Thanksgiving night, a Walmart in Los Angeles brought out a crate of discounted X-boxes, and as a crowd waited for the video game players to be unwrapped, a woman fired pepper spray at the other shoppers "in order to get an advantage," police said. Ten people suffered cuts and bruises in the chaos, and 10 others had minor injuries from the spray, authorities said. The woman got away in the confusion, and it was not immediately clear whether she got an X-box. On Friday morning, police said, two women were injured and a man was charged after a fight broke out at an upstate New York Walmart. And a man was arrested in a scuffle at a jewelry counter at a Walmart in Kissimmee, Fla. In the U.S., Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, has taken steps in recent years to control its Black Friday crowds following the 2008 death of one of its workers in a stampede of shoppers. This year, it staggered its door-buster deals instead of offering them all at once." (Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press)

Lennon and McCartney of the Beatles wrote in the song "Revolution", "you say you want a revolution, well you know, we'd all love to change your head." Yes, it is more than changing Wall Street. It is, ultimately, about changing ourselves. This Christmas, change how you celebrate. Speak from your heart to your kids about consumerism and how it is affecting the planet as well as our behavior. Ladies, instead of buying your guy a new bag of golf clubs, give him a night he will never forget. Be creative, be loving, be tender and compassionate. Enjoy each other. To enjoy is to enjoin, to enjoin is to unite. Consumerism keeps us isolated by gimmicks of sensationalist advertising of unrealistically beautiful women, “perfect” children and gorgeous hunks of men that are created off the corporate mold. And who is being molded by all these advertising gimmicks? You are! For what purpose? To make others rich. Don't go there this year. Find richness in your heart and share that this Christmas. And keep more of your money.

Anonymous - TRUMP WON'T STOP THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

This week's Bible study will be part one of Luke chapter six

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles

[Luke chapter 6, verses 1- 19]

To view this on my website, click here! :-)

Today we'll be moving on to chapter 6 of the Gospel of Luke in our ongoing, chronological studies of all he wrote and left behind for us. As you will continue to see, the apostle Luke left a giant legacy for all of Christianity! This next chapter has to do with the healing of a man's shriveled hand, the naming of the 12 apostles, and Jesus driving out an evil spirit. So let's begin at verse one without delay.

“One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, 'Why are you doing that which is unlawful on the Sabbath?' Jesus answered them, 'Have you never heard what David did when he and his companions were hungry? They entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful for only the priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.' Then Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.'” (Luke 6, verses 1-5)

The similarities between the Pharisees of Jesus' time and the religious fundamentalists of our era are striking, to say the least. Catholics eat only fish on Friday, but never any meat. Muslims never eat pork, and it takes most of an entire chapter of a book in the Old Testament to list all the Hebrew laws about the preparation and consumption of food! Do all these food laws make any of those who believe in them any closer to God? No way! And yet here we have these Pharisees, who by this time were following Jesus around while they looked for opportunities to accuse him of being a false prophet and to discredit him, as if one could ruin the reputation of the Son of God! These men, these “religious leaders”, clearly were utterly clueless about the true identity of Christ. Either that, or they just didn't want to see because doing so would have exposed their own hypocrisy. I think it was probably both.

So as Luke's narrative moves on, we find the apostles being accused in the Lord's presence of breaking the Law of Moses. The Pharisees told the apostles they weren't allow to eat on the Sabbath, which is to say their food should have been prepared in advance. The Pharisees' demands about honoring the Sabbath were hyper-religious to the point of being ridiculous, and Jesus tell them so when he responds, “If it was good enough for David and his companions to eat consecrated meat, it should be acceptable to eat kernels of wheat just as well.” “The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath”, the Lord said, but the Pharisees had no idea what Jesus was talking about because they could not accept who Jesus was, even when he told them directly. Oftentimes it seems like those who are in charge are the ones least qualified for the position. Moving right along now, let's start at verse six.

“On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'Get up and stand in front of everyone'. So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, 'I ask you – which is lawful on the Sabbath; to do good or to do evil, to save life or destroy it?' He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand'. He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.” (Luke 6, verses 6-11)

Right here we have a case where it appears Jesus may have done something purposely to get under the skin of the religious establishment. Jesus made the Pharisees and teachers of the law really mad, and those who saw this must have known that. Yet, they dared say nothing for fear of the Hebrew ruling class, who ruled in a very heavy-handed manner. But Jesus couldn't have cared less. He healed the man's shriveled hand anyway. It was another way Jesus was trying to tell them that the Old Law was fulfilled, and that a new law, the Law of Righteousness in the Age of Grace, was now in effect. There it was, right in front of the 'religious elite', and they still didn't believe it. In fact, it had the opposite effect. The Pharisees began to discuss ways to stop Jesus and his ministry. I can practically hear them now: “We gotta stop this guy!” Bearing that in mind, let's conclude this lesson beginning at verse 12.

“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose 12 of them, whom he designated apostles: Simon (who he called Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and was healing them all.” (Luke 6, verses 12-19)

Notice what Jesus did before choosing the 12 apostles – he prayed all night long! He talked to his Father about it before making any decisions, like a soldier reporting to a commanding officer. But once Jesus knew his Father's will for him, he didn't hesitate to execute it! So all 12 of the original apostles are named right here at this point in Luke's gospel. There was also a sizable number of other disciples, or aspiring apostles, that were with Jesus at this particular location, although Luke does not specify how many. But Luke does write about what he saw, which was “... a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and was healing them all.” Jesus, quite frankly, had become the newest sensation of his time, like the Beatles of the 1960's. Like those who were clamoring to see and hear the Fab Four, people were coming in droves to hear Jesus teach, and in multitudes they came from all the surrounding countryside to be healed of their infirmities.

Let's take into account that there was no news media compared to what we have today, no Internet or email or anything like that, and yet Jesus managed to draw these crowds with nothing more than word of mouth. This remains an amazing feat up to this day as far as I'm concerned. Those people were gathering in those kinds of numbers because they knew there was something special about Jesus. He didn't teach like the head of a synagogue or the pastor of a church, he taught like the guy who wrote the Book because that's exactly who Jesus was! As before with a previous lesson from Luke's gospel, notice that Jesus never went around telling people who he was. He didn't have to because they already knew without being told. That's just who Jesus was. He had a certain undefinable presence about himself that made everyone know he was the Son of God. And, as Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed”. That's us, people, all those who believe in Him and who obey his commandments. We haven't seen Jesus yet, but we believe in him and that he is our risen Savior. And, we believe that one day soon, in the not too distant future, we will see Him in person, just as he is. On that note, let's close for now, and we'll go over part 2 next time. Be blessed, everyone!

Anonymous: If This Doesn't Open Your Eyes Nothing Will!

We had better learn to be thankful for what we have

Better to Be Thankful for What You've Got

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

People everywhere are crying the blues about their financial situation, and with just cause to say the least. There are some people lucky enough to still be in the work force who are being forced into low-end service jobs, many of which pay below the poverty line. It's not the people's fault that they can't find good paying jobs. Most of those jobs have been sent overseas, never to return. The job market is rigged anyway, and so are the political and economic systems we are currently stuck living under. But all this will be coming to an end soon unless the globalists are stopped in their tracks! You know, the ones who just lost last month's presidential race here in the US? Never mind HRC, she was just the face that masked the real persona of globalist interests. If we do not actively oppose the global elites we will be crushed by them, of that you can be quite sure!

So how can we stop these people without tearing everything down and starting over on a clean sheet of paper? We must redefine democracy and the capitalist economic system (in that order) in 21^st century terms. Representative democracy such as what been centralized in Washington, DC will ultimately be replaced by a virtual-reality-like online government. Instead of the current hierarchical setup, future government will evolve into a beehive configuration, having a kind of lateral management structure. I don't think that's too far into the future, either. One thing I am sure about – the governmental and economic systems as they currently exist are unsustainable. A huge economic crisis is headed our way. It's not a question of if, but of when.

The only other possibility would be for Jesus to return and take his people home (see Matthew 24, Luke 27, Daniel 9). To put it mildly, that would stop everything and everybody in their tracks! Everything I just wrote about in the opening paragraphs would no longer make any difference! To spare you all any long, drawn out explanations, anywhere from 10% to as high as 25% of humanity will leave earth all at once during the 'rapture' of the greater Church as the apostle Paul prophesied in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 13-18, and I quote: “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and that he rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, and with the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

“We believe that Jesus died and that he rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep”. Notice the emphasis on Jesus' resurrection as the starting point. On the other hand, “fallen asleep” was a pseudonym in the 1608 King James version for being deceased that was carried over to several other versions, such as the NIV. The following verse is just a fancy way of saying that upon the 'rapture' of the greater Church, those who died while practicing their faith in Christ would be the first to be taken up, followed by all those believers who were still alive at the halfway point of the seven years of tribulation when the 'rapture' will actually occur (see Daniel 9, verse 27). “....the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” This is the ultimate fate of every true Christian. We will meet the Lord in the air, or in heaven, and either choice is fine with me.

But until then and while we're waiting for the 'rapture', people are still really upset about the huge pay cuts they have had to take to remain in the work force, their lowered standards of living, unfair burdens of student loan debt, increasing environmental pollution, and burnout from longer work hours adds insult to injury. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Moreover, I don't know how much longer American workers, managers and their families are going to be able to put up with this situation. But at the end of the day, we had all better be satisfied and thankful for what we do have, because it can all be taken away in an instant by fire or natural disaster. While standing up for what is right and just are always good things, we should adopt the attitude of the apostle Paul, who, when he wrote his beautiful letter to the Philippian church, said, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content no matter what the circumstances. I know what it is like to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4, verses 10-13)

We can all learn a good lesson from the apostle Paul in those verses above. Paul evidently didn't worry about having all his needs met. Paul is telling us all to stop worrying about material possessions like money and investments, the most stylish clothes, ever more over-sized houses and faster cars, and countless status symbols in American society that don't amount to a hill of beans in the sight of God! In my humble opinion, people had better start learning to live with less, not more. America is addicted to materialism, but the coming financial disaster will break that addiction for good! People will have to relearn the time-honored lesson that there is more to life than just 'stuff'.

Tough times are coming. Nobody knows the exact timetable for this, but I view this as my duty as a licensed minister to warn people about the coming financial calamity and its probable consequences so they can prepare. I also view this as being part of my overall job description, since I am a humble servant in His Majesty's service. What is also a part of my job description is to be a watchman in the fortified guard tower, scanning the horizon for any sign of a possible attack or potential intruder from Satan and the forces of darkness. Thanks to my own relationship with Jesus, I can evade these forces of evil I have written about. By reading your Bible daily, you can achieve the same and dedicate it all to Jesus. In fact, we would all do well to do the same.

Mars Artifacts Martain Monoliths And Surface Anomalies

Bible study this week is the 2nd half of Luke chapter five

Of Healing and Fasting

[Luke chapter 5, verses 17-39]

Last week when we left off at verse 16, we got down to details about the calling of Jesus' first disciples as well as one of the earliest healings of his 3 ½ year ministry. Today we will be moving on to the second half of chapter 5, where we will explore the reasons Jesus needed no justification or validation for his ministry in the eyes of the religious establishment of that time. Jesus then makes a comparison between the Law of Moses (the first 5 books of the Old Testament) and himself as the fulfillment of that Law, as we studied back in chapter 4. Interestingly enough, he uses “wine skins” as a way to compare them to each other, but I'm going to try and use a more modern example. Bearing that in mind, let's do the second half of chapter 5 of Luke's gospel beginning at verse 17.

“One day when he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village in Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came there carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven'. The Pharisees and teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, 'Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, 'Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say, 'your sins are forgiven', or to say, 'get up and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins – ', he said to the paralyzed man, 'I tell you, get up, take up your mat and go home.' Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on, and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, 'We have seen remarkable things today.'” (Luke 5, verses 17-26)

“ And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” Let's read in between the lines here. The supernatural power of healing is real within the realms of Christianity, but it is not present all the time unless God allows it. Even Jesus had to wait for an appropriate time to use this power, so even the Son of God was no exception to this Spiritual rule of thumb. This is exactly the reason why I have always maintained that so-called “faith healers” who profess the ability to heal anyone, anytime, anywhere is dubious at best and fraudulent at its absolute worst. I would advise a great deal of caution when encountering one of these individuals.

Moving right along, we should also note here that if there's a second thing Jesus appreciates (both past and present tense) right behind faith, it is determination. The men who carried the paralyzed man could not gain entry into the private home where Jesus was teaching. It was evidently 'standing room only' inside that house, so they scaled the side of the house and climbed onto the roof before creating a makeshift hole in the roof. As you can see, people in those days were a bit smarter and more creative than they're sometimes given credit for. Jesus, noting this at the time, said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven”. Immediately those from the religious establishment took issue with our Lord and Savior, as if to say to Jesus, 'You can't forgive sins! Who do you think you are?'. Jesus gives his classic response to them as he says, 'I tell you, get up, take up your mat and go home'.

Whether Jesus could forgive sins or not, he said to the synagogue leaders and the equivalent to seminary professors of today, is besides the point if you will only believe in the healing I just performed. So the newly healed former paralytic gets up and takes his mat and starts heading for home while the Pharisees and teachers are still sitting there grumbling among themselves. “Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on, and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.” 'Don't tell me', Jesus was saying to the leaders of organized religion, 'how to do my job!' Only Jesus never came right out and said he was the Son of God because he didn't need to. He knew the Pharisees and teachers of the law would never have believed him anyway. Let's hold that thought as we continue forward to the second half of today's study, beginning at verse 27.

“After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. 'Follow me', Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' Jesus answered them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' They said to him, 'John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking. Jesus answered, 'Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.' He told them this parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it onto the old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wine skins. If he does, the new wine will burst the old skins, the wine will run out and the wine skins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wine skins. And no one drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The older is better'”. (Luke 5, verses 27-49)

When Jesus told Levi, “Come, follow me”, the Bible reads, “Levi got up, left everything, and followed him”. Levi didn't hesitate, and so neither should we when the calling of God is on our lives. All of us are called to be witnesses and ambassadors for Christ. How this is accomplished varies from person to person. Sometimes all we can manage is one person at a time, but there is no shame in that at all. Not everyone can fill stadiums or establish mega-churches anyway. Since I am disabled and currently without a car, getting out and witnessing is a bit harder for me than most, so I do so on the Web instead. Let's all pause and ask ourselves, what have we been doing lately for the cause of Christ? This is what Jesus was talking about when he taught, and I'm paraphrasing, “Those who wish to follow me must take up their own cross”. Are we taking up our cross for Christ? Reading our Bibles and attending church every Sunday (or Saturday for some) doesn't count. There is still that something extra that all believers are called to take part in. Make Jesus your cause in life! I can't think of anything or anyone more worth living for!

“But the Pharisees and teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' Jesus answered them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance'.” To say the least, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were accusing Jesus of a conflict of interest. At worst, they accused him of hypocrisy. The religious establishment of that time envisioned the Jewish messiah to be a conquering hero who would retake Jerusalem and all of Judea from the Roman Empire and reestablish the Jewish homeland as God had promised Abraham and Moses. As we have already seen, the Jewish Messiah was exactly the opposite. He was born of a peasant woman, and as an infant Jesus had only a manger filled with hay to sleep in. The religious leadership of Jesus' time simply couldn't wrap their heads around that.

But it goes even deeper than that. These leaders of organized religion fancied themselves as being the first in line to inherit the blessings of God. In short, these people were elitists. They thought they were better than most others because they viewed their religious beliefs as being superior in some twisted and self-centered sort of way. They were very similar to the religious snobs of today, the self-righteous who look down their noses and talk in a condescending manner to everyone else except for their peers. So, they were greatly offended when Jesus chose to associate with people that the Pharisees thought were inferior to themselves. 'I'm not here for jerks like you guys', Jesus was saying to them at the time. Jesus disdained the high and mighty folks in favor of those from the humblest of circumstances. We would all do well to consider ourselves as such so that we might be closer to the Lord in spirit and in truth.

“....no one pours new wine into old wine skins. If he does, the new wine will burst the old skins, the wine will run out and the wine skins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wine skins.” Bottles as we know them today hadn't been invented yet, so people used mainly the skin of goats and sheep, but the skins of an ox or a camel have also used to store liquids in. Once the contents were consumed, the skins would dry out, becoming brittle and unusable. One modern example would be the tires on your car or truck. If you're driving down the freeway and you suddenly have a blowout, would you try to put more air back into the blown out tire? Of course not, you would buy a replacement and put the air in the new tire instead! Our faith and trust in Jesus Christ is a lot like that. The difference is that, with human beings, the entry into our hearts and minds of our Lord Jesus Christ transforms the old self into the new. We don't have to kill off our old selves in order to be filled with Jesus. He has already allowed himself to be killed in our place, only to rise again on the morning of the 3^rd day! We are the new wine skins and the blood of Jesus is the new wine! On that note, let us all focus on the new wine that is within us all. And next time we'll move on to chapter six.

EX Muslim says you must stop them NOW!!! THEY ARE GOING TO KILL YOU

John Glenn, Man of Faith

John Glenn Saw No Conflict Between Faith and Science

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

STS-95 crew member, astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn poses for his official NASA photo taken April 14, 1998. Photo courtesy of NASA via Reuters

For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1: 16-17)

The passing of American hero John Glenn this past week has given me cause for reflection. When I think of heroes, Jesus Christ is the first person that comes to mind. Since he has saved us all from our sins against God and each other, Jesus is the obvious first choice. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is another example of a hero that I can think of, the late president John F. Kennedy is yet another. I can think of still more examples from the Bible, such as St. Stephen from the Book of Acts chapter 6, Joshua and Caleb from the Book of Joshua, and the apostle Peter, to name a few. And then there is John Glenn. As an American astronaut he gained heroic stature when he became the first man to orbit the earth aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. Previously, he won five Distinguished Flying Crosses in World War II, and years later went on to become a U.S. Senator from Ohio.

Perhaps less well known is that he was a man of deep Christian faith. This past Thursday, when he left the bounds of earth one final time at age 95, he passed into the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was one of the pioneering astronauts of the Mercury program at a time when space travel was extremely risky. He said he prayed every day during that time. Those prayers were needed on Glenn’s historic first orbits in space. During the return on February 20, 1962, Glenn’s heat shield was thought to have come loose and many believed it might fail during re-entry, which would cause Glenn’s capsule to be incinerated in its fiery descent. Glenn was instructed to take manual control of the capsule and described “a real fireball outside” as he re-entered the atmosphere. Thankfully, his and many other prayers were answered when he splashed down safely in the Caribbean.

Shortly after his flight, he delivered a sermon, “Why I Know There is a God,” that described his enlarged perspective on God as a result of the mission. In his message, he marveled at the size of the universe. “Our galaxy is some 100,000 light years in diameter. This makes us realize how difficult it is to visualize the tremendous scale of the universe beyond our solar system. The limits of the telescopically observable universe extend at least two billion light years from us in all directions,” he told his listeners in 1962. Then he expressed awe at discoveries from the microscopic level. “Come back to what we know of atomic particles, the smallest particles known. Atoms have a great similarity to our solar system in that they have electrons rotating about a nucleus in regular patterns. Now what is the point I am making?” he asked. “It is the orderliness of the whole universe about us, from the smallest atomic structure to the most enormous thing we can imagine. Could this have just happened? Was it an accident that a bunch of flotsam and jetsam suddenly started making these orbits of their own accord? I can’t believe that. This was a definite plan. This is one big thing in space that shows me there is a God. Some power put all this in orbit, and that power keeps it there.”

John Glenn may best be remembered as one of the 20th century’s greatest explorers, the first American to orbit the Earth and, later, the oldest man in space. Glenn also will be remembered for his long career as a U.S. Senator, representing his home state of Ohio for 24 years as a moderate Democrat. But less well-known is the fact that Glenn was an elder in the Presbyterian Church who saw no conflict between his beliefs in God and in science. He told The Associated Press last year he believed scientific discovery – including evolution – should be taught in schools. “I don’t see that I’m any less religious by the fact that I can appreciate the fact that science just records that we change with evolution and time, and that’s a fact,” he said. “It doesn’t mean it’s less wondrous and it doesn’t mean that there can’t be some power greater than any of us that has been behind and is behind whatever is going on.” And in a space-to-Earth news conference during his second space flight at age 77 in 1998, Glenn told reporters his view of space only strengthened his belief in God. “Looking at the Earth from this vantage point, looking at this kind of creation and to not believe in God, to me, is impossible. To see the Earth laid out like that only strengthens my beliefs,” he said.

From high above Earth, John Glenn saw the face of God. He was not alone. There is something about the beauty of space, Earth and the universe that touches many people's spirits. Logic-oriented scientists and daring pilots turn spiritual, some even evangelical, after their space flights. Glenn and most of his Mercury astronauts strongly testified about how faith helped with their groundbreaking flights. John Glenn summed it all up while in orbit. “To look up out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible,'' Glenn said in a Sunday news conference, responding to a reporter's question. “It just strengthens my faith.'' Glenn said recently that evolution should be taught along with all other types of scientific discovery, and this view does not contradict a belief in God. He went on to say that recording the scientific changes that occur over time due to evolution fit comfortably with his view of God as Creator.

This week's Bible study will be the first half of Luke chapter five

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

[Luke chapter 5, verses 1-16]

To view this on my website, click here!

For this week's study, we'll be moving on to Luke chapter five. Here we chronicle the ministry of Jesus during a time when he was just beginning to call his first disciples. We also will find as we go along that Jesus not only continued his healing ministry that he began in the previous chapter, he took it up a notch as well. By this time he had developed quite a following, some praising him while others, the religious establishment of that time, began actively looking for ways to discredit Jesus out of jealousy. With this as our backdrop, then, let's get right into Luke's gospel chapter five.

“One day as Jesus was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the Word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fisherman, as they were washing their nets. He got onto one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to pull out a little bit from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Pull out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch'. Simon answered, 'Master, we have worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid. From now on you will catch men.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5, verses 1-11)

There were a few times in the Gospels when Jesus could be a bit of a pragmatist, and this was one of those times. Jesus apparently had quite a large crowd. In fact, even at this early point in his ministry, there were so many people following Him around to hear a Word or to obtain healing that those furthest away from him had trouble hearing him. So Jesus simply borrows Simon's boat, goes out about 25 feet away from the shore and teaches from there. No podium, no microphone, no problem! Then our Savior turns right around and solves another problem – Simon and his partners had worked all night and had caught nothing. Their little fishing enterprise wasn't doing very well. Jesus knew that if he asked those first apostles to follow him while they were still empty-handed, they may have turned him down. And Jesus, being a man who was always thinking one step ahead, decided that this would be a good time to show a little something to these men. Remember that prior to this, Jesus and his future disciples didn't know each other.

The next thing that happens is that Simon Peter, with Jesus still on board, catches so many fish that it takes two boats to haul them in, and even then the large payload nearly sinks both boats. After they finally get them brought to shore, Simon Peter falls to his knees before the Lord and begs him to leave. “Don't be afraid of me”, Jesus told him. “From now on you'll catch men instead of fish”. Jesus made sure that they had a large enough catch to the point that none of them would need to catch another fish for a very long time. And so now that the finances of Jesus' first apostle were straight, they eagerly agreed to follow Jesus. Jesus never demands that people follow him without giving something in return. He always prefers motivation to obligation. So, in order that Simon, James and John could follow Jesus, he made it easy for them by seeing to it that they had enough spending money to last them for a long while. Let's hold that thought as we take up where we left off at verse 12.

“While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean'. And immediately the leprosy left him. The Jesus ordered him, 'Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.' Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5, verses 12-16)

As you can see, the circumstances here are rather exceptional. Those with leprosy, a common disease back then which disfigures the human body and which was highly contagious, lived in leper colonies. They were kept separated from society due to the virulent nature of leprosy, and this was required by law as well. When they did have to go out in public – to buy food, for example – they were required by law to warn people in an audible voice by saying, “Unclean! Unclean!” as they made their way to and from. So now you know why the man asked Jesus, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” “I am willing”, Jesus told the man. “Be clean”. People with leprosy were reviled as outcasts in those days, similar to people today who are HIV positive, or who suffer from mental illness. Yet this sickly man was so motivated and so determined to seek Christ and his healing that he risked arrest, being assaulted or even killed just so he could hear the words, “I am willing, be made clean”.

Another thing that stands out here is that Jesus' healing of this gentleman was complete and instantaneous. The healing alone was unheard of during Jesus' lifetime, but immediate healing was and still is miraculous! Next, Jesus tells the man, “Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” What did Jesus mean here? He was referring to the Law of Moses, otherwise known in modern times as the first five books of the Old Testament. Specifically, he was referring to the Levitical law and what was known as a “fellowship offering” (see Leviticus chapter 7, verses 11-15). A “fellowship offering” is one that is made as a token of public gratitude and thankfulness for being restored to the synagogue so that one could come and worship there and offer sacrifices for their sins. People with leprosy were forbidden from attending Sabbath services at the Temple or synagogue. The Bible doesn't tell us how long this gentleman had been afflicted, but it had been for a long time, that much is certain.

“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Evidently the man kept the true nature of his healing to himself unless he was asked. But in spite of doing everything Jesus told him, news of Jesus' healing abilities continued to spread like wildfire. The only way this could have happened is by word of mouth for obvious reasons. People are sometimes smarter than they're given credit for. One thing humans are usually pretty good at is spotting liars, cheats, phonies and crooks. They knew authenticity when they saw it, and Jesus was and always will be the real deal!

Yet by the same token, even Jesus needed to be replenished by his Father in heaven from time to time, so he would go to pray where he would not be interrupted. One thing I know about Jesus, he prayed a lot. His healing ministry was like an engine – from time to time our Savior had to stop and refuel in order to keep going. Even the Son of God knew when he needed to take a break. And, his breaks were always prayerful ones, of that we can all be sure! “Apart from me you can do nothing”, Jesus told his apostles (John 15: 5). As it was with the apostles and Jesus, so it was with Christ and the Father. By extension, then, so it is with ourselves and Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, we can't do anything that amounts to anything, but “all things are possible with God”. Let's spend this week continually maintaining that attitude as we all continue to draw ourselves closer and closer to our Lord and Savior, so that he in turn can draw closer to us. And, next week we'll be completing Luke chapter 5, God willing.

More Lies From Our Government

This Week's Bogus Unemployment Report Is a Sin Against Us All

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

To view this on my website, click here.

I have always believed that being a good Christian means standing up against social and economic injustice. After all, being religious without putting one's faith into action is like calling oneself a Democrat or Republican without ever voting. The Bible says in the New Testament, “Faith without works is dead”, and I'm a firm believer in putting that into practice. One social injustice that I wrote about in my 2011 book, “The Middle and Working Class Manifesto” was the outsourcing overseas of what used to be good American middle class jobs. I have some ideas about what is wrong or unjust in this great country of ours, and the following is just one example of what I would like to see fixed within society at large. I am talking about this week's federal government's press release that puts American unemployment at 4.6%. This simply hilarious number is being peddled to the American people at a time when only 61% of American adults are working. So, we're supposed to believe America has 4.6% unemployment while over one third of our workforce has given up looking for work out of sheer discouragement!

Now that Washington is waking up to the destructive impact of outsourcing good middle class jobs overseas, something the American people have known about for years, globalism's advocates have decided this facade of lies has to be maintained by the elite 1% at all costs. The Wall Street Journal, a supposed bastion of truth, recently stated that "the fact is that for every job outsourced to Bangalore, nearly two jobs are created in Buffalo and other American cities." I bet “Buffalo and other American cities" would like to know where these jobs are. On October 25, 2011, 60 Minutes had a program on unemployment in Silicon Valley, where formerly high-earning professionals have been out of work for two years and, today, cannot even find part-time $9 an hour jobs at Target.

The claim that jobs outsourced by US corporations increases domestic employment in the US is one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on the American public (excluding the biggest one, which is the so-called “Federal Reserve”). Based on a bit of research that I have done from an economics standpoint, I can tell you that our country's governmental and business leaders have reached this erroneous conclusion by counting the growth in multinational jobs in the U.S. without adjusting the data to reflect the acquisition of existing firms by multinationals, and for existing firms who have turned themselves into multinationals by establishing foreign operations for the first time. There is no new multinational employment in the U.S. Absolutely zero. Existing employment simply moved into the multinational category from a change in the status of firms to multinational. American workers have become expendable because corporate America has decided they are too expensive to keep around. I know this to be true because it once happened to me.

The jobs that replaced the ones that were outsourced overseas for pennies on the dollar consist of waitresses and bartenders, health care workers, social services, retail clerks, and while the bubble lasted, construction. These are not the high-tech, high-paying jobs that the "New Economy" promised, and they are not jobs that can be associated with global corporations. Moreover, these domestic service jobs are themselves scarce. Just ask anybody trying to find one. Until this past year the construction jobs had all but vanished. Did you ever wonder how it was possible to have simultaneously millions of new good-paying middle class jobs and virtually the worst income inequality in the developed world, with all income gains accruing to the mega-rich? Or was that just me?

Education is no longer the solution it once was. For example, we already have more engineers than we have jobs for them due to outsourcing. A Philadelphia marketing and research firm called “Twentysomething” found that 85% of recent college graduates planned to move back home with parents. Even if members of the "boomerang generation" find jobs, the jobs don't pay enough to support an independent existence. And let's not forget that nearly all of these recent graduates have student loans with payoff balances in the tens of thousands of dollars. This in turn ruins their credit, which makes finding employment even more difficult. Reporters repeat the lie that the unemployment rate is 4.6%. The government's own more inclusive rate stands at 17%. Statistician John Williams, who counts unemployment the way it is supposed to be counted, finds the unemployment rate to be 22%. In my 2012 book, “Occupying America: We Shall Overcome”, I estimated the total unemployment rate to be 24%. Near the end of 2016 as I write this, total unemployment plus under-employment remains stuck at roughly the same figure.

To keep our eyes off the loss of jobs to outsourcing, policymakers and their minions in the financial press blame US unemployment on alleged currency manipulation by China and on the financial crisis. The financial crisis itself is blamed by conservatives on low-income Americans who took out mortgages that they could not afford, and on US “entitlement” programs. In other words, the problem is China and the greedy American poor who tried to live above their means, or who are allegedly too lazy to work. With this being the American mindset, you can see why nothing is being done to save the US economy.

We need to stop blaming poor people and minorities for America's problems. If anyone wants to know what is wrong with our country, the answers are located inside the D.C. Beltway, and they are there in abundance. This country can end or greatly limit unemployment, homelessness, poverty and economic inequality by simply reeducating its population. The Bible says in the Old Testament, “The people perish for a lack of knowledge”, and it's ever so true even after all the centuries that have gone by. The US is the only remaining developed country that does not do this for its citizens. The same can and should be done today, and I think it should also be a jumping-off point for overhauling or replacing the US public school system.

Take all the long-term unemployed, particularly older workers like I was, and send them back to school for up to two years (four year programs would be available at extra cost using my idea), and allow them to earn the degree, diploma or professional certification of their choice. Do the same for all parolees, as well as all homeless individuals who are judged healthy enough to work – anyone who might otherwise find it nearly impossible to find employment. Should the taxpayers pick up the tab for this? No way, let corporate America be compelled by law to pay for the retraining of these still-valuable US workers! If they can afford to send our jobs overseas for pennies on the dollar, then paying for up to 2 years of school to teach new trades to anyone who wants retraining should similarly only cost them pennies on the dollar relative to their exorbitant annual profits. Moreover, these multinational corporations already engage in enough tax dodging and evasion to pay for all of it!

There is a price to be paid for social and economic injustice, and it's a steep price too. Human being are driven by, among many other things, a desire for achievement, or to better one's lot in life. Those who see opportunities to improve themselves or their situation are by nature predisposed to take advantage of that opportunity, whatever it might be. So, when people find themselves being denied opportunities to succeed, along with the rewards that accompany that success, they resent it. It hurts our feelings because it seems as if we are being punished for wanting to better ourselves, as if we have done something wrong. There are those who might say, “This is something that's beyond my control”. But I continue to maintain that only happens when one capitulates to that 'something', whatever it may be. But if we band together and fight the 1% elitists, we have them outnumbered by 99 to 1, and I predict that is exactly what will happen if our new president sells out to Wall Street like he seems to be doing. As the late president Kennedy once said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make a violent revolt inevitable.”