Blog Archives
THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’: NATIONAL ABORTION AND THE GREAT AWAKENING (2022)
Hello Friends. I posted the following highly relevant article as titled on July 3, 2015. In it I delve into the basics of “the worst decision ever rendered by the Supreme Court.”
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I wrote it about a week after the Alternative Marriage Supreme Court ruling. Many Americans believed that particular ruling to be incorrect, but it paled greatly in significance to the Roe v. Wade decision of January 22, 1973. It is estimated that 65 million babies have been legally aborted since Roe was made law. This constitutes roughly one third of the American population over the last 49 years.
The math is simple. The US population in January of 1973 was roughly 211 million. It is currently estimated to be 333 million. That’s an increase of 122 million Americans. This means the number of aborted babies over that time span constitutes the population growth of roughly a quarter century, which is astonishing. Essentially, one out of three people is not here. Of course, this does not take into account the children and grandchildren of these aborted babies who never were, which means the population would be effectively even higher and likely much higher. These are sobering statistics.
Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned as of last Friday, I thought it would be good to revisit some of my past articles on the subject of abortion. In this article from 2015 I name the justices on the Supreme Court who participated in that ruling and how they became members of the Court. Independent Constitutional scholars have long held that Roe is bad law. The current Supreme Court agrees. One thus wonders how in the world such bad law has been allowed to exist for half a century. I will discuss this in future articles. As you read the following post, try to remember that time seven years ago in order to gain perspective:
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Happy July 4th.
On the eve of America’s 239th birthday from which we declared our independence from a tyrannical king, a new tyranny has come forth.
And it is no one’s fault but We the People.
Christians are upset about last week’s Alternative Marriage Supreme Court ruling but I would like to strongly remind everyone that the recent ruling, though a definite sign of decline, is merely a sign of further decline, a great decline that began many decades ago.
On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court ruled with an iron hand in one sweeping decision that baby killing in the womb had become perfectly legal and the law of the land, overturning every state law against abortion. The vast majority of Americans were against this ruling but the will of the people did not matter. And innocent babies otherwise safely in the womb would now be targeted by heinous practitioners of depraved butchery.
These innocent babes had no voice. They lost all their rights. Barring later repentance that I can find no record of, the seven deceased justices that formed the majority opinion are now suffering a far worse punishment than the one they perpetrated upon the roughly fifty-five million innocent babies to date.
These men were heartless and cold. We have now learned, several years ago in fact, that these babies feel excruciating pain when being ripped apart and sucked out, unlike the mere glob of tissue they are purported to be, which means they suffer the double whammy of physical pain and a complete disregard, dismissal, and indifference toward their status as both human beings and free Americans.
The Roe v. Wade decision was the worst decision ever rendered by the Supreme Court, without question, and makes the one rendered last week look like nothing. The recognition and acceptance in America over the last 42 years of legalized baby killing should put the recent ruling in proper perspective. We should understand that the Supreme Court had already rebelled against God many decades ago and that such current decisions should not surprise us.
Regarding the weird White House color show of last week [President Obama bathed the White House in multi-color], perhaps the White House of early 1973 should have been bathed in blood red.
But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. [2Timothy 3:13] [1]
Regarding America, just who are these evil men and imposters prophesied about by the apostle Paul so long ago?
Well, considering Supreme Court justices, they are in office by the will of the people. They are nominated by Presidents and must be confirmed by the Senate, which means both branches must work together to make the appointments final.
Presidents are elected by the people of the nation. Senators are elected by the people of their respective states. Therefore, such Presidents and Senators are elected by We the People, which means the ultimate responsibility is with the American voters who elected such people into office.
THE ALTERNATIVE MARRIAGE DECISION
If American Christians want to blame the Supreme Court justices for last week’s Alternative Marriage decision, they are blaming the wrong people. Those justices were placed in power by the America electorate. Here is how they got there:
VOTING AGAINST:
Justice Antonin Scalia (Catholic):
Assumed Office on September 26, 1986. Nominated by Ronald Reagan (Republican).
Justice Clarence Thomas (Catholic):
Assumed Office on October 23, 1991. Nominated by George H. W. Bush (Republican).
Chief Justice John G. Roberts (Catholic):
Assumed Office on September 29, 2005. Nominated by George W. Bush (Republican).
Justice Samuel A. Alito (Catholic):
Assumed Office on January 31, 2006. Nominated by George W. Bush (Republican).
VOTING FOR:
Justice Anthony Kennedy (Catholic):
Assumed Office on February 18, 1988. Nominated by Ronald Reagan (Republican).
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Judaism):
Assumed Office on August 10, 1993. Nominated by Bill Clinton (Democrat).
Justice Stephen G. Breyer (Judaism):
Assumed Office on August 3, 1994. Nominated by Bill Clinton (Democrat).
Justice Sonia Sotomayor (Catholic):
Assumed Office on August 8, 2009. Nominated by Barack Obama (Democrat).
Justice Elena Kagan (Judaism):
Assumed Office on August 7, 2010. Nominated by Barack Obama (Democrat).
The Alternative Marriage Decision was a 5-4 vote. Voting For were Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan. Each one of these justices was nominated by Presidents who were elected not only once, but twice. The American people cannot be clearer about their choice for President when they elect that President twice. Each one of these justices was also confirmed by elected members of the United States Senate.
Therefore, regarding last week’s decision, it can be argued that those who voted for Ronald Reagan (Kennedy), and especially those who voted for Bill Clinton (Ginsburg, Breyer) and Barack Obama (Sotomayor, Kagan) are the responsible parties. It must be noted though, that justices often go left after attaining office, which is certainly the case with Kennedy.
THE ROE V. WADE DECISION
Regarding the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, if American Christians want to blame the Supreme Court justices of that time for that decision, they are, again, blaming the wrong people. Those justices were also placed in power by the America electorate—We the People. Here is how they got there:
VOTING AGAINST:
Justice Byron White (Episcopalian):
Served 4/16/1962 – 6/28/1993. Nominated by John Kennedy (Democrat).
Justice William Rehnquist (Lutheran):
Served 1/7/1972 – 9/3/2005. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
VOTING FOR:
Justice William O. Douglas (Presbyterian):
Served 4/15/1939 – 11/12/1975. Nominated by Franklin Roosevelt (Democrat).
Justice William J. Brennan, Jr (Catholic):
Served 10/15/1956 – 7/20/1990. Nominated by Dwight Eisenhower (Republican).
Justice Potter Stewart (Episcopalian):
Served 10/14/1958 – 7/3/1981. Nominated by Dwight Eisenhower (Republican).
Justice Thurgood Marshall (Episcopalian):
Served 10/2/1967 – 10/1/1991. Nominated by Lyndon Johnson (Democrat).
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (Presbyterian):
Served 6/23/1969 – 9/26/1986. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
Justice Harry Blackmun (Methodist):
Served 6/9/1970 – 8/3/1994. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr (Presbyterian):
Served 1/7/1972 – 6/26/1987. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
Roe v. Wade was a 7-2 vote. Voting For were Blackmun, who wrote the majority opinion, Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, Marshall, Burger, and Powell. Each one of these justices was nominated by Presidents who were elected not only once, but twice, with the exception of Johnson who did, however, serve more than one term, and Roosevelt, who was elected four times. The American people cannot be clearer about their choice for President when they elect that President twice or more. Each one of these justices was also confirmed by elected members of the United States Senate.
And for those who think voting Republican will work to eventually end legal abortion, FIVE of the Supreme Court justices who voted for Roe v. Wade were nominated by two Republican Presidents.
Therefore, regarding the Roe v. Wade decision, it can be argued that those who voted for Franklin Roosevelt (Douglas), Lyndon Johnson (Marshall), and especially Dwight Eisenhower (Brennan, Stewart) and Richard Nixon (Burger, Blackmun, and Powell), are the responsible parties.
SLOW SUICIDE
The slow suicide of America will never be stopped without the intervention of the Lord Jesus. Every nation and empire in history has gone the way America is going now. No nation lasts forever. Not even ancient Israel. If God could not stop the slow suicide of His own people, how can He stop the destruction of any nation that does not want His help?
Enough Americans know better, however, and millions seek Him. But we should not be seeking Him to save America. We should be seeking Him to save souls, including our own.
Believers are coming together and getting wise, and are beginning to understand the problem. American churchianity as usual has brought us to this place of powerlessness and increasing persecution. We created and bought into the wrong “Christian” paradigm many decades ago, believed the false prophets in charge, and supported people who proved to be our enemies.
The Great Awakening is changing all that.
Regardless of American culture falling all around us and the advent of a new evil in the form of false freedom, those who know and love the Lord Jesus are truly free and will always be.
The lovers of this present darkness will not be so fortunate.
© 2015 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD
On July 4th of this year, a penumbral lunar eclipse began which crossed the entire American continent. Early Monday morning at 3:42am (CT), America experienced another.
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This second penumbral lunar eclipse also crossed the entire continent. These two lunar eclipses are the only ones affecting America in this most difficult year of 2020. They may be considered as bookends. They may also be considered as spiritual signs:
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world. [Psalm 19:1-4][1]
A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place when the Moon moves through the faint, outer part of Earth’s shadow, the penumbra. This type of eclipse is not as dramatic as other types of lunar eclipses and is often mistaken for a regular Full Moon.[2]
The July eclipse had a penumbral magnitude of 0.355. This means only 35.5% of the moon’s surface was covered by the Earth, and for many it was barely perceptible. Tonight’s eclipse had a much greater magnitude of 82.9%.
GOD ALSO SPEAKS THROUGH NUMBERS
It is obviously quite interesting that the first eclipse began on July 4th, the 244th birthday of America, which happened to occur during the 4th month since the beginning of spring. In case you’re wondering, 4 is the Biblical number of Creation. It refers to God’s created works and is the number of material completeness. For whatever ultimate reason, we were inundated at that time with the number 4. When the July 4 eclipse began, it denoted the completion of America’s first 244 years since Independence was declared.
However, the multiples comprising the number 244 are not good: 4 x 61. The number 61 is the 18th prime number, which is comprised of 2, the number of division, and 9, the number of finality or judgment. There has certainly been growing division in America and this past summer marked a high point at that time. It also looked as though judgment had fallen and many thought it portended the end.
But there is good news! The July eclipse also denoted the beginning of year 245. This number’s multiples are 5 x 7 x 7. The number 5 is the Biblical number of grace and 7 denotes spiritual perfection. So we have spiritual perfection to the second power (72) times grace beginning on July 4, 2020. Also, it is exactly five lunar cycles since then until now. This also clearly indicates a time of grace with two lunar eclipses traversing the entirety of America as bookends.
And here’s something also pretty cool: From Saturday evening July 4 until Sunday evening November 29 is 148 days. This means the next day, the actual night of the eclipse on November 30, is day number 149. This is a prime number. It is actually the 35th prime number. And here we see again the two numbers of 5 and 7, or grace and spiritual perfection. This is what these last five lunar cycles have represented for America, since our country’s birthday until now.
KEEP THE FAITH
What follows this time of grace? Keep in mind that anything the Lord does the enemy tries to counteract it. The greater the work of God the greater the enemy’s response. The apostle Paul taught us that there will always be more grace than sin. The Lord Jesus taught us that His Light will always overcome any and all spiritual darkness. Though courage has been generally lacking in America since the spring when this great attack began, a relative few courageous ones have been here since the beginning. In fact, some very courageous Americans began sounding the alarm very powerfully back in March. Their witness began gaining ground all year long. More and more people heard the truth that overcame the false narrative but lacked the courage to act. Now that we see how far the enemy would take it, even to the point of stealing the election which was all part of the original plan, it allowed a greater percentage of Americans to get the big idea.
Americans in general are like a good man under attack who tries all he can to not engage or commit to a fight even though the fight is upon him. He will do this until backed into a corner when he no longer has the luxury of putting it off. At this point the “flee or fight” response becomes reduced to the “fight or surrender” response. We are seeing this very clearly now. People who we thought were good fighters have revealed themselves as mere chickens. They’ve already thrown in the towel. In fact, the few who are currently leading the charge and fighting with all they have on the front lines are people most Americans had never heard of until now. On the flip side, many of those they thought would lead the charge are nowhere to be found.
COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS: WAKING A SLEEPING GIANT
The courageous ones throughout this entire ordeal have been sowing the seeds of courage. And now we see courage spreading, coming forth, and rising up. More Americans are getting baptized with courage. Righteousness in America has been cornered and backed up against a wall. We will now see what America is actually made of. Will American patriots weakly surrender or will they fight? There is no more opportunity to flee.
I am reminded of what Marshall Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of the Combined Japanese Fleet at the beginning of WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor supposedly said: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” What he actually said, a month later, was the following:
“A military man can scarcely pride himself on having ‘smitten a sleeping enemy’; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten. I would rather you made your appraisal after seeing what the enemy does, since it is certain that, angered and outraged, he will soon launch a determined counterattack.” [3]
THE CURRENT GREAT AWAKENING
America, the sleeping one, the one slumbering, dreaming, and refusing to face up over the last several decades against an ongoing attack against her freedom, liberty, and very substance, has now been backed up against a wall for which there is no retreat. The only thing left to do is either fully surrender or fight back with great courage. Remember, this is a spiritual war. We must use spiritual means. We must fight with spiritual weapons.
The enemy is indigenous. It is an enemy within. It is Judas slinking away in the night. It is two-faced people who sell out to money and prestige. Over the last month we have seen these people more clearly. They refuse to fight. They refuse to engage. If you wait on them to lead the charge you’ll be waiting until it’s too late. As it was during the time of the American Revolution, we see the three kinds of Americans revealing themselves from the shadows yet again:
- The establishment status quo Tory cowards fully supporting a distant “parliament and King George”
- The selfish, illiterate, clueless ones with no resolve and no willingness to get involved whatsoever
- Patriotic courageous individual Americans who still stand for Freedom and the Constitution
245 years ago, it was the latter group, only consisting of about 30-33% of American colonists, who decided they could no longer live under the thumb of increasing oppression and decided to risk it all. It was a long hard fight in which they lost more battles than they won. But they discovered that as long as they did fight and continued to fight, they could not be defeated. There were many times when it looked as though all was lost but in the end THEY DEFEATED THE GREATEST MILITARY POWER ON EARTH AND WON THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. They created the greatest country on earth and allowed for the freest people who ever lived.
Their back was certainly up against the wall in the beginning, but they acknowledged their courage, took possession of it, were built up by it, displayed it over and again, and absolutely refused to quit regardless of circumstances. The coming weeks will reveal what America is made of.
Regarding the future, we’ve been given celestial clues, as the Psalmist stated: “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God.”
© 2020 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
[2] https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/penumbral-lunar-eclipse.html
[3] https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2018/12/29/pearl-harbor-the-sleeping-giant-awoken/
The Times They Are A-Changin’: National Abortion and the Great Awakening
Happy July 4th.
On the eve of America’s 239th birthday from which we declared our independence from a tyrannical king, a new tyranny has come forth.
And it is no one’s fault but We the People.
Christians are upset about last week’s Alternative Marriage Supreme Court ruling but I would like to strongly remind everyone that the recent ruling, though a definite sign of decline, is merely a sign of further decline, a great decline that began many decades ago.
On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court ruled with an iron hand in one sweeping decision that baby killing in the womb had become perfectly legal and the law of the land, overturning every state law against abortion. The vast majority of Americans were against this ruling but the will of the people did not matter. And innocent babies otherwise safely in the womb would now be targeted by heinous practitioners of depraved butchery.
These innocent babes had no voice. They lost all their rights. Barring later repentance that I can find no record of, the seven deceased justices that formed the majority opinion are now suffering a far worse punishment than the one they perpetrated upon the roughly fifty-five million innocent babies to date.
These men were heartless and cold. We have now learned, several years ago in fact, that these babies feel excruciating pain when being ripped apart and sucked out, unlike the mere glob of tissue they are purported to be, which means they suffer the double whammy of physical pain and a complete disregard, dismissal, and indifference toward their status as both human beings and free Americans.
The Roe v. Wade decision was the worst decision ever rendered by the Supreme Court, without question, and makes the one rendered last week look like nothing. The recognition and acceptance in America over the last 42 years of legalized baby killing should put the recent ruling in proper perspective. We should understand that the Supreme Court had already rebelled against God many decades ago and that such current decisions should not surprise us.
Regarding the weird White House color show of last week, perhaps the White House of early 1973 should have been bathed in blood red.
But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. [2Timothy 3:13] [1]
Regarding America, just who are these evil men and imposters prophesied about by the apostle Paul so long ago?
Well, considering Supreme Court justices, they are in office by the will of the people. They are nominated by Presidents and must be confirmed by the Senate, which means both branches must work together to make the appointments final.
Presidents are elected by the people of the nation. Senators are elected by the people of their respective states. Therefore, such Presidents and Senators are elected by We the People, which means the ultimate responsibility is with the American voters who elected such people into office.
THE ALTERNATIVE MARRIAGE DECISION
If American Christians want to blame the Supreme Court justices for last week’s Alternative Marriage decision, they are blaming the wrong people. Those justices were placed in power by the America electorate. Here is how they got there:
VOTING AGAINST:
Justice Antonin Scalia:
Assumed Office on September 26, 1986. Nominated by Ronald Reagan (Republican).
Justice Clarence Thomas:
Assumed Office on October 23, 1991. Nominated by George H. W. Bush (Republican).
Chief Justice John G. Roberts:
Assumed Office on September 29, 2005. Nominated by George W. Bush (Republican).
Justice Samuel A. Alito:
Assumed Office on January 31, 2006. Nominated by George W. Bush (Republican).
VOTING FOR:
Justice Anthony Kennedy:
Assumed Office on February 18, 1988. Nominated by Ronald Reagan (Republican).
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:
Assumed Office on August 10, 1993. Nominated by Bill Clinton (Democrat).
Justice Stephen G. Breyer:
Assumed Office on August 3, 1994. Nominated by Bill Clinton (Democrat).
Justice Sonia Sotomayor:
Assumed Office on August 8, 2009. Nominated by Barack Obama (Democrat).
Justice Elena Kagan:
Assumed Office on August 7, 2010. Nominated by Barack Obama (Democrat).
The Alternative Marriage Decision was a 5-4 vote. Voting For were Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan. Each one of these justices was nominated by Presidents who were elected not only once, but twice. The American people cannot be more clear about their choice for President when they elect that President twice. Each one of these justices was also confirmed by elected members of the United States Senate.
Therefore, regarding last week’s decision, it can be argued that those who voted for Ronald Reagan (Kennedy), and especially those who voted for Bill Clinton (Ginsburg, Breyer) and Barack Obama (Sotomayor, Kagan) are the responsible parties. It must be noted though, that justices often go left after attaining office, which is certainly the case with Kennedy.
THE ROE V. WADE DECISION
Regarding the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, if American Christians want to blame the Supreme Court justices of that time for that decision, they are, again, blaming the wrong people. Those justices were also placed in power by the America electorate—We the People. Here is how they got there:
VOTING AGAINST:
Justice Byron White:
Served 4/16/1962 – 6/28/1993. Nominated by John Kennedy (Democrat).
Justice William Rehnquist:
Served 1/7/1972 – 9/3/2005. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
VOTING FOR:
Justice William O. Douglas:
Served 4/15/1939 – 11/12/1975. Nominated by Franklin Roosevelt (Democrat).
Justice William J. Brennan, Jr:
Served 10/15/1956 – 7/20/1990. Nominated by Dwight Eisenhower (Republican).
Justice Potter Stewart:
Served 10/14/1958 – 7/3/1981. Nominated by Dwight Eisenhower (Republican).
Justice Thurgood Marshall:
Served 10/2/1967 – 10/1/1991. Nominated by Lyndon Johnson (Democrat).
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger:
Served 6/23/1969 – 9/26/1986. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
Justice Harry Blackmun:
Served 6/9/1970 – 8/3/1994. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr:
Served 1/7/1972 – 6/26/1987. Nominated by Richard Nixon (Republican).
Roe v. Wade was a 7-2 vote. Voting For were Blackmun, who wrote the majority opinion, Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, Marshall, Burger, and Powell. Each one of these justices was nominated by Presidents who were elected not only once, but twice, with the exception of Johnson who did, however, serve more than one term, and Roosevelt, who was elected four times. The American people cannot be more clear about their choice for President when they elect that President twice or more. Each one of these justices was also confirmed by elected members of the United States Senate.
And for those who think voting Republican will work to eventually end legal abortion, FIVE of the Supreme Court justices who voted for Roe v. Wade were nominated by two Republican Presidents.
Therefore, regarding the Roe v. Wade decision, it can be argued that those who voted for Franklin Roosevelt (Douglas), Lyndon Johnson (Marshall), and especially Dwight Eisenhower (Brennan, Stewart) and Richard Nixon (Burger, Blackmun, and Powell), are the responsible parties.
SLOW SUICIDE
The slow suicide of America will never be stopped without the intervention of the Lord Jesus. Every nation and empire in history has gone the way America is going now. No nation lasts forever. Not even ancient Israel. If God could not stop the slow suicide of His own people, how can He stop the destruction of any nation that does not want His help?
Enough Americans know better, however, and millions seek Him. But we should not be seeking Him to save America. We should be seeking Him to save souls, including our own.
Believers are coming together and getting wise, and are beginning to understand the problem. American churchianity as usual has brought us to this place of powerlessness and increasing persecution. We created and bought into the wrong “Christian” paradigm many decades ago, believed the false prophets in charge, and supported people who proved to be our enemies.
The Great Awakening is changing all that.
Please listen to the following song. Pay careful attention to the lyrics which follow. The song applies perfectly to these days, gives the right perspective, and will give you hope.
Regardless of American culture falling all around us and the advent of a new evil in the form of false freedom, those who know and love the Lord Jesus are truly free and will always be.
The lovers of this present darkness will not be so fortunate.
.
The iron hand it ain’t no match for the Iron Rod
The strongest wall will crumble and fall to a Mighty God
For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears
It is only He who can reduce me to tears
Don’t you cry and don’t you die and don’t you burn
Like a thief in the night, He’ll replace wrong with right
When He returns
Truth is an arrow and the gate is narrow that it passes through
He unleashed His power at an unknown hour that no one knew
How long can I listen to the lies of prejudice?
How long can I stay drunk on fear out in the wilderness?
Can I cast it aside, all this loyalty and this pride?
Will I ever learn that there’ll be no peace, that the war won’t cease
Until He returns
Surrender your crown on this blood-stained ground, take off your mask
He sees your deeds, He knows your needs even before you ask
How long can you falsify and deny what is real?
How long can you hate yourself for the weakness you conceal?
Of every earthly plan that be known to man, He is unconcerned
He’s got plans of His own to set up His throne
When He returns [2]
© 2015 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
[2] Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music. Words and Music by Bob Dylan.
The Declaration of Independence 2011
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of the Virginia House of Burgesses introduced a resolution that essentially became the actual Declaration of Independence. The short document stated thus:
Resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances.
That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.
The resolution was debated the next day and then tabled until July 1. In the meantime, a committee was formed to consider the question of independence. It was composed of five members: John Adams, Ben Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was enlisted to write the document. After editing, the Declaration was voted upon for acceptance by Congress on July 2, and formally accepted on July 4, 1776. It is interesting to note, however, that it was not actually a declaration of independence. That honor belonged to the resolution of Richard Henry Lee. The original title of the formal document written by Thomas Jefferson was the following:
A Declaration by the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in General Congress assembled
The final draft adopted on July 4, 1776 contained the more familiar title of:
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.
He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.
He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
© 2011 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
