11/10/2011
|A couple of weeks ago, I brought a Sunday message, which was taken from the Old Testament Book of Amos, chapter 7, verse 13, entitled, “The King’s Chapel, And The King’s Court.” In this chapter, the chief priest of Bethel, a man named Amaziah, scolded the prophet Amos for delivering an unpopular message against the kingdom of Jeroboam. In delivering his rebuke, he told Amos that neither he nor his message was welcome in Bethel, because “it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.” I cannot think of a passage of Scripture that is more relevant to what is happening in the United States of America today than this passage in the Book of Amos.
I invite readers to view or download this message by going here.
I was reminded of this Biblical story again as I read the news report that a US judge has thrown out a suit brought against the Transportation Security Administration by former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. According to Paul Joseph Watson at InfoWars.com,
“Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura said he would now refer to the country of his birth as the ‘Fascist States of America’ after a judge dismissed his case challenging airport pat downs, adding that his only recourse now would be to run for President.
“‘Ventura made his comments outside the federal courthouse in St. Paul, where in January he sued to challenge the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) airport security procedures,’ reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune.”
US District Judge Susan Richard Nelson rendered the decision.
Watson’s report continued saying,
“A further detail that Ventura revealed on the Alex Jones Show which has not been picked up by mainstream media reports is the fact that Ventura’s lawyer was told the case could not go to a jury trial due to ‘secrecy reasons’ related to national security.
“‘You cannot know what’s legal for the TSA to do or not, it’s considered national security, so there’s no way to know if you’re being abused or not,’ said Ventura, adding, ‘The judge said it in the ruling, it’s secret and we have no way of knowing whether the Governor was abused or not.’”
The report also said, “Vowing to ‘never fly commercial’ again, Ventura gave a passionate press conference today, expressing his anger at TSA grope down procedures that force people like himself with metal implants to go through humiliating pat downs every time they pass through airport security.”
Watson concluded his report saying, “During his interview on the Alex Jones Show, Ventura put out a ‘come and get me’ plea to the Libertarian Party, indicating that he will run for President if they approach him. Ventura has also said he would seriously consider being Ron Paul’s Vice-President pick if the Congressman was successful in the Republican nomination or if Paul ran as the Libertarian Party candidate.”
This report reminded me of the above-mentioned Scriptural passage in the Book of Amos, because, historically, both the chapel (church) and the court are supposed to be independent of the executive power of government–regardless of what kind of executive power happens to be in place at the time. Historically, the chapel (church) is considered the province of God, and the court is considered the province of justice. But when government’s chief executive (king, president, prime minister, etc.) hijacks the chapel (church) and/or court, that executive government becomes tyrannical and despotic. The maintenance of freedom and liberty depends on an independent clergy and an independent court. But just as in Amos’ day, so in America today, neither the church nor the court is truly independent. Both are subjects of an omnipotent central government.
For many years, but especially since the events on 9/11/01, US courts have rolled over and played dead in the face of the usurpation of individual and State rights and do not even remotely resemble being the check and balance to government abuse of power as envisioned by America’s Founding Fathers and enshrined by the US Constitution. The Ventura case is a prime example.
In the name of “national security,” the courts have repeatedly “looked the other way” to the encroachments of liberty by the executive branch of the federal government. In his report, Watson wrote, “Referring to 9/11, Ventura questioned the reasoning behind the whole war on terror. ‘George Bush said we were attacked because they were jealous of our freedoms. So we take away our freedoms so they won’t be jealous anymore?’ he said. ‘I think they’re winning.’”
See Watson’s report here.
Well, Governor, I KNOW they are winning! The courts, like many in Congress, and even many in State governments, are little more than rubber stamps for what more and more looks like an American Fuhrer.
That leaves only the “chapel.” And, unfortunately, here, too, there is hardly any independence. Thanks to a brilliant piece of deception known as the 501c3 section of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC)–and a pervasive and fallacious interpretation of Romans chapter 13–the vast majority of today’s pastors, churches, and radio and TV preachers are modern-day Amaziahs: toadies for modern-day Jeroboams. To them, the church really is Jeroboam’s chapel. Believe me, these Amaziahs know exactly where Jeroboam has drawn the line. They know exactly where the “third rail” is, and they will not go near it!
And, trust me, too, when I say that when an Amos comes along (anyone who dares to challenge unlawful abuse of power by the executive branch of the federal government)–be his name Jesse Ventura, Ron Paul, or Chuck Baldwin–the modern-day “priests” will be as vocal and vociferous in their denunciations of said prophet as was Amaziah, the chief priest of Bethel.
Ladies and gentlemen, when the churches and courts lose their independence, when they lose their ability to think for themselves, when they lose their courage to stand against “the powers that be,” when they cannot be trusted to judge righteousness and stand for truth, then freedom and liberty are threatened with extinction in the land. And that is exactly the threat that these States United now face!
As for Governor Ventura, I applaud his courage to face the giant, and I hope he will stay on the battlefield and help us fight this leviathan, because there are still a lot of Amoses out there who will not submit to Jeroboam’s tyranny or Amaziah’s coercion. There are still millions of red-blooded, freedom-loving Americans who have vowed to live free or die trying! And I am one of them!
Please don’t give up, Governor!
P.S. My constitutional attorney son Tim Baldwin and I have just released the second edition of our blockbuster book, “Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission.” The new edition is simplified, succinct, and very salient. I am absolutely convinced that if churches and Christians throughout America could get a good grasp of the true meaning of Romans 13, we could literally change the direction of the country! This imbecilic “obey-the-government-no-matter-what” misinterpretation of Romans 13 is as much responsible for America’s demise as is anything else that one can name. I strongly encourage readers to purchase this book for themselves and for their friends and relatives–and especially for their pastors and fellow churchmen.
To learn more about this hard-hitting new book, or to order, go here.
Dr. Chuck Baldwin left the Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida to move to Montana in 2010. He hosts a weekly radio show. His website is here.
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