“AR” – Assault Rifle? Ah, No!

I am certainly no gun expert, but this little do I know --

AR does NOT stand for “Assault Rifle”

The “AR” in AR-15 is assumed to mean “assault rifle”.   The “AR” comes from the firearms manufacturer Armalite. Those letters are used as a standard naming practice for their firearms. Just like the Ford F-150, the AR-15 is a specific model.   Just like there’s an F-250 and an F-350, there’s also an AR-10 and an AR-30. Again, the AR does not mean “assault rifle.”

So what is an assault rifle?  It really is a machine gun!

An assault rifle is a rifle that has selectable firing modes and can fire in fully automatic mode or semiautomatic mode. To do this, there is a toggle that you operate between modes.

One firing mode is called “semiautomatic.” Semiautomatic means that when the trigger is pulled, the following happens:  One trigger pull = one bullet fired.  A firearm that fires one bullet at a time and loads the next round into the chamber is called a “semiautomatic” firearm. Semiautomatic rifles are NOT assault rifles.

Operate the toggle switch and you can get the “fully automatic” mode. In the case of full auto firearms, when the trigger is pulled and held down, the firearm will shoot continuously until the trigger is released or until the gun runs out of ammunition.  This is your classic machine gun. Machine guns can be described as assault rifles.

Machine guns are not available to the public.  The vast majority of gun owners do NOT own machine guns or assault rifles.

The left wing media will try to persuade you using scare tactics and misinformation. Don’t fall into their trap by supporting your own ignorance. Remember, the liberals have as their ammo – feelings and emotions.  So they will do all they can to flare these up in you in order to achieve a goal or support a narrative. 

Best way to fight against the cancer of liberalism is with knowledge.  Feelings and emotions are much like sugar that helps feed cancer cells. When you put within your mind knowledge, you starve and deprive the cancer cells of their fuel and you will be restored to your right mind and empower yourself to stand firm against those who could care less about your rights and freedoms.

The Family - The Building Block of Society, Pt. 2

The breakdown of the family may be the largest public health crisis that we face. So what's driving it? Well there are many factors, such as falling wages for males.  Studies show that when men make less than women, they are considered less attractive marriage partners, therefore, fewer men marry and more children are born out of wedlock. Moreover, some government policies discourage marriage particularly among the poor women on welfare who when they marry often see their food and housing subsidies cut dramatically.

When a recent report found that almost 1/3 of Americans know someone who hasn't married for fear of losing benefits.  Broader changes in American culture have also had an effect on marriage and family formation. The dramatic decline in church attendance and religious observance is one of these.  Another reason for the decline of the family, and we tend not to think of this as a problem but it certainly is -- how rarely that it is acknowledged in public. When was the last time you've heard a democratic office holder decry the out-of-wedlock birth rate? If you cared about reducing poverty you would talk about it a lot, right?  But they don't.

And check this.  Exit polls reveal that unmarried mothers are a critical part of the Democratic coalition in 2008.   Barack Obama won 74 percent of single mothers who voted in 2012. He won 75 percent of them, thus showing that alienating these voters in any way is politically risky for Democrats and so they ignore the problem entirely. The progressive left has become openly hostile to the institution of marriage and voting patterns explain why.

It's been more than 20 years since a Democrat running for president won the majority of married women in America. Unmarried women by contrast vote overwhelmingly for Democrats in 2012 and 2016. The Democratic Party platform never mentioned the importance of marriage except when advocating for gay marriage.

End of Part 2

Family - The Building Block of Society, Pt. 1

Well there are a lot of reasons that men are falling behind in this country, but just look at the numbers and it reveals one statistic that tracks the decline of American men.

Over time the disappearance of fathers from the home between 1960 and 2016, the proportion of kids living with both parents decreased by almost 20%. The percentage of children living with only their mothers nearly tripled in demographic terms. This is stunning changes to family structure as well as a drastic change in society morals.

This abrupt and profound change typically are only seen in wartime, and yet if anything those numbers understate the reality of fatherlessness in America. In the high income neighborhoods where journalists and policymakers tend to live not a lot has changed. Most kids there still grow up with their fathers and mothers, but in the rest of the country intact families are disappearing according to a 2014 study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

Among younger parents without college degrees seventy-four percent of mothers had at least one child outside of marriage. Out of wedlock births are now the rule across the country not the Exception.

Increasingly having a father at home is the sign of affluence but it's also a cause of influence, especially for boys who grow up with a father at Home. Boys who grew up with their fathers earn much more as adult boys who grow up alone with only their mothers, they tend to earn less, they also have more disciplinary problems in school and they read less and less. Also they're less likely to graduate from high school or go to college, and they're more likely to be unemployed and to live in poverty.

They get married less often and when they do they divorced more. They're more likely to be obese and have asthma. They are far more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, exhibit antisocial behavior and commit acts of violence as adults, and they're twice as likely to go to prison.

Now these numbers aren't the result of one study but of numerous large studies done over Generations.

The results hold true across geography and ethnic groups. This also applies in black urban and rural areas where boys raised without their fathers are at terrible risk. There's not much serious academic debate about this. The nationwide breakup of families is a disaster, and not just a moral disaster, but a practical one.

Are We Commanded To Cast Out Demons?

The examples that we see in the Bible of some casting out demons are the disciples / apostles and Jesus Himself.

Two questionable passages that are often used are these:

Mark 16:15-18 - 5 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

However, this particular ending in Mark appears to end at verse 8. Verses 9-20 do not appear in two of the most trustworthy manuscripts of the New Testament -- Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. These two oldest manuscripts are known to be the most accurate because there were fewer generations of copies from the original autographs (i.e., they are much closer in time to the originals), so then, since the oldest manuscripts do not contain vv. 9-20, we can conclude that these verses were added later by scribes. The King James Version of the Bible, as well as the New King James, contains vv. 9-20 because the King James used medieval manuscripts as the basis of its translation. Since 1611, however, older and more accurate manuscripts have been discovered and they affirm that vv. 9-20 were not in the original Gospel of Mark. Therefore, it is not wise to build a theology based on the spurious ending of the Gospel of Mark.

Next often used passage comes from Luke 10:19: “Look, I (Jesus) have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.”

A closer look at this passage shows that Jesus gave this authority to the seventy (10:1, 17 – a specifically chosen group of disciples of Jesus). This is not a promise for all believers especially in our present generation.

Furthermore, if you do take this to be a present day promise for all believers, then you have to also embrace the “authority to tread upon snakes” as well as the promise – “and nothing shall injure you” (v. 19). There is no cherry picking.

Rather, for the church, we are told to –

Submit to God and resist the devil – James 4:7

Put on the whole armor of God and stand against the schemes of the devil – Eph. 6:10-18

Be sober-minded and watchful – 1 Pet. 5:8

Test the spirits – 1 John 4:1-3

Set your mind on the things of the Spirit and not the flesh – Rom. 8:5-8

Crucify the flesh with its passion and desires – Gal. 5:24.

These are the promises and responsibilities the church needs to spend more time teaching believers about.

One more thing. In the Book of Revelation, when all hell breaks loose, you have an enormous amount of demonic activity taking place. Yet, you cannot find one instance where anyone on earth is performing an exorcism. The only exorcism that occurs takes place in heaven when Michael and his angels cast down to the earth the devil and his demons (Rev. 12:7-12).

This tells me that during the Tribulation Period of seven horrendous years, the only escape from the devil will be by, the Rapture of the Church, or death.

Spiritual Gifts Are Serving Gifts

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” – 1 Cor. 12:7

God has gifted you with a special ability to benefit the whole body. It is not to be used on yourself. It is not to make you feel good, but to make you do good. It is not to give you evidence, but to give equipment. Spiritual gifts are not for your enjoyment, but for your employment.

I heard a story the other day about a woman who took a first aid course.  A couple weeks later she was giving a testimony of how the class had helped her.  She said then it happened, one day in front of her house was this horrible car wreck.  An elderly man, driving a car, lost control and hit her tree in the front of her house and was thrown onto the pavement.  When she ran out of the house, she saw that his head was crushed, his eyes were bloody, his body was twisted, and his body was pumping out blood onto the pavement through his ears. 

So the class said, “Wow, what did you do?”  She said, I remember in my first aid class the instructor telling us to put your head between your knees so you will not faint.  She said, “I did it, and it worked!”

To use your spiritual gift on yourself is to abuse it. This is why I reject the notion of “praying in tongues” as a legitimate spiritual gift.  The practice is done for the purpose of edifying the one praying.  No one around understands or comprehends. It is a selfish, man-made, devil inspired practice.  It goes contrary to the divine intentions of the Holy Spirit.

Diving Deep in the Sea of God’s Sovereignty, Part 9

Principle:  The joy of our hope, O God, is that you magnify your greatness by lifting up the low, and putting down the proud.

“Who but me can say to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man’? I show no partiality to princes, nor regard the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of my hands.” (Job 34:18–19)

“I shatter the mighty without investigation and set others in their place.” (Job 34:24)

“I look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand.” (Job 40:12)

“I the LORD kill and bring to life; I bring down to Sheol and raise up. I make poor and make rich; I bring low and I exalt.” (1 Samuel 2:6–7)

“I have scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; I have brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” (Luke 1:51–52)

What You Will Not Hear From the Hollywood Left

 “Righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34).

Here is principle that will govern every person’s life and every nation’s existence:  Righteousness and liberty are inextricably interwoven. You cannot have true liberty without true righteousness. What God has placed together, no man can tear apart.

What is righteousness? Righteousness is living responsibly under God. Righteousness is assuming my God-given responsibilities as a citizen of the kingdom of God and as a citizen of this great country.   Here is how righteousness and responsibility are inseparably wed together.

Take for example, a little baby—has no responsibilities. He doesn’t have to worry about paying the bills. He doesn’t have to worry about going to the grocery store. The little baby doesn’t even have to worry about changing his or her clothes; even dirty diapers are changed for the little baby. You see, the little baby has no responsibilities. But, the little baby also has no liberties. He doesn’t decide where he’s going to sleep. He doesn’t decide what kind of diapers he or she is going to wear. He’s carried around. He has no liberties at all, because he’s not lived responsibly.

But, as the child grows, and is able to assume more and more responsibilities, therefore, the child is given more and more liberties. After a while, when the child is responsible enough, maybe he’s allowed to walk home from school. Then comes the day when he or she is 16, and they say, “Dad, can I borrow the car?” Now, Dad has a real decision to make at that time: Is my son, is my daughter, a responsible individual? Have they shown by the way that they live that they can take this piece of machinery out there on the highway and drive it? Have they shown enough responsibility that they can be given this liberty?  Responsibility and liberty are inextricably interwoven.

Now, when a man becomes a criminal, and no longer lives responsibly, what

happens to him?  He is put in jail. When he fails in his responsibilities, his liberties are taken away.  Now, he’s in jail. There are much fewer  responsibilities—he doesn’t have to turn out the lights. But, he has far fewer  liberties—he can’t unlock the door.

You see, you are not going to hear this from the left in Hollywood -- that liberty and responsibility are inextricably interwoven. What is true for individuals is also true for a nation, because a nation is comprised and composed of individuals.

We, as Americans—listen carefully—will have more liberty or less liberty in direct proportion to our character.

When we lose responsibility, when we lose character, when we lose righteousness, as night follows day, we will lose liberty. Whenever there is a loss of character and righteousness and responsibility assumed—which is what character is; whenever there is a loss of these, there will always be – watch this – A GROWTH OF GOVERNMENT.

People who cannot live responsibly from within will be governed from without.   This is how and why government grows.

So the bigger the government becomes, the more control it is given – over people who have laid aside righteousness, character and responsibility. This means that the few who are responsible, fight like hell to try to keep government from intruding into their lives and liberties.  A liberal society will do its best to try to get as many people less righteous and responsible (an abrogation of character), in order for them to give up their liberties and allow an outside source (government, state, dictator, etc.) to take over control.

You won’t hear this from Hollywood – but it is the agenda of what is taking place and is certain to go all the way unless there is a direct intervention from God called – A Revival!  

Diving Deep in the Sea of God’s Sovereignty, Part 8

Principle: Since we are nothing compared to God’s greatness, we bow in humbleness and confess our need of Him.

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales. . . . All the nations are as nothing before me, they are accounted as less than nothing and emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:15, 17)

“I sit above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. I stretch out the heavens like a curtain, and spread them like a tent to dwell in. I bring princes to nothing, and make the rulers of the earth as emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:22–23)

The Kissing of Independence With Dependence

It is good for us – now and then – to go back to the beginning and remind ourselves of the past and the foundation we ought to be standing on. This way, when the winds of opposition blow – and blow it will – we have a firm and solid footing on the right foundation.

On July 4th, 1776, there was signed in the city of Philadelphia the Declaration of Independence. It marked the birthday of this nation which under God, was destined for world leadership. But, what Americans have forgotten on that day when we talk about our independence was, the same document that declared our independence from Great Britain, at the same time, that same document declared, with no equivocation, our great dependence upon Almighty God. The same document: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

The Declaration of Independence closes with these solemn words—it was a declaration of independence from Great Britain, but listen to the close; listen for the dependence upon Almighty God— “With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”   What did it say? “With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”—what is a “firm reliance”? It is dependence. The founders, speaking on behalf of what is to come, said, “We place our dependence upon Almighty God, when we assert our independence from Great Britain.”

And so, at that time, when they signed this declaration, the cannons fired, and the fireworks filled the sky, and the bells chimed, and in Independence Hall, there in the steeple of the Old State House, the Liberty Bell rang. On that Liberty Bell, you could read the verse from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto…the inhabitants thereof.”

Therefore, in this Declaration of Independence, we said that Sovereign God is man’s Creator. Today, in many schools throughout this land, you can’t even teach creationism; but the Creator gave us those unalienable rights—the government doesn’t give them to us, the government should not take them from us; and, that government is only ordained to protect those right. 

Remember, government does not give people rights; only God gives rights. But government is to recognize the rights given from God to others and protect those rights. When government begins to see itself as the “giver of rights,” it has overstepped its bounds and is functioning independent of the fear of God. 

The Role of Government

I came across this silly story the other day. According to the story, the British railroads were looking for a way to test the windshields on their locomotives, because sometimes, traveling at those great speeds, they would hit birds flying through the air. So they found out that British Airways had developed a cannon that would shoot dead chickens at the windshields of their airplanes, to see if the windshields were constructed well and they would withhold this impact. So the leaders of British Railroads thought, “Well, maybe we can borrow this device from the airline and try it out on our locomotives.”

The airline said, “Yes, you can borrow our cannon.”   So they did. As, they were getting ready to test the windshield on this locomotive, they sent someone out to buy some ammunition -- a dead chicken. The person bought the ammunition for the cannon, and they loaded the cannon with a dead chicken. They aimed the cannon and fired it at the windshield of the locomotive. The chicken went through the windshield, through the conductor’s chair, and made a big dent in the back wall of the locomotive.

British Railroads were very upset, and they called British Airways and they demanded an explanation. According to the story, British Airways said, “Okay, we see the problem. The next time you do this, make certain it’s not a frozen chicken.”

You see, the problem today is that we are trying to make the government do something it was not designed to do by the founding fathers or by God Himself who institutes governments (Rom. 13).

Government has many functions, but its primary one is to police the nation or state. In other words, to keep law and order according to Romans 13. So then, if government is going to keep law and order, it must have laws by which to operate. What government tries to do is to take a moral principle and institute it into something tangible, such as: The moral principle, “You shall not commit murder,” translates into, “Ban all guns.”

The danger is when government becomes too big, too wealthy and too powerful and too corrupt, it begins to enact laws that strips people of their freedom. To define freedom means, having a right to choose.  Well if government becomes too large and corrupt, it begins to intrude on people’s right and liberties and as a result, their freedoms (rights to choose) is stripped away. Governments do this because ultimately it does not fear God (1 Peter 2:17).

Now government as an institution is neutral or non-moral. It only becomes moral when people are placed or elected to serve in it. So good moral people. help to make the government moral. Corrupt immoral power-hungry people help to make it corrupt.  

So people ultimately get the government they deserve. Why? Because the people who serve in government got there by being elected by the people. The workers in government are a reflection of the people.

Liberals will elect liberal people and government will turn liberal. Conservatives will elect conservative people and government will function in a conservative manner. But when you have a government that is both conservative and liberal, long delays, inner fights, bitter squabbles, and self-serving interests take over.  The people, therefore, suffer.  Yet, the people got the kind of government they deserve. Government was not designed to function like this.