Does your faith need strengthening? Are you confused and wondering if Jesus Christ is really "The Way, the Truth, and the Life?" "Fight for Your Faith" is a blog filled with interesting and thought provoking articles to help you find the answers you are seeking. Jesus said, "Seek and ye shall find." In Jeremiah we read, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall seek for Me with all your heart." These articles and videos will help you in your search for the Truth.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

The American Dream of Easy Living! - Chapters 27

By Dennis Edwards

Where is America in Bible Prophecy? 


All Bible verses are from the King James Bible, although I have changed some of the old English. Any similarity to any modern version is only by coincidence. Bible verses other than the King James have been foot-noted properly.

Copyright @ Dennis M. Edwards (photos used from Google images for educational purposes only) [To go to the first chapters click here]

Part Three - The Evidence and Arguments for America Being "Babylon the Whore" of Revelation 17&18

Chapter 27: The American Dream of Easy Living
Chapter 28: Revelation Chapter 18
Chapter 29: Music is the Message - The Sirens of Babylon!
Chapter 30: Football, Fatima, and Fado - The FIFA Olympic Connection

Chapter 27 - The American Dream of Easy Living
In Case You Missed It: Where to American Dream? | Heron Foundation

From all that I have presented in the previous chapters, I think it is not illogical to conclude that New York City could be the present day manifestation of Babylon the Great. Revelation says,

For all the nations have drunk of the wine of her wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.[1]

America has been the choice market place for the world for the last half of the 20th century. It is the epitome of opulence. The Apostle John warned,


Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever.[2]

The world has been lusting after the American Dream of being rich and having an easy life full of material things, sex and money. But it’s a false illusion promoted by her media magicians, so that the kings and the inhabitants of the earth fornicate with her both spiritually and materially. The American Dream is an imagination or Image-Nation, a false imaginary image fed to the nations of the world by the American media: the television, film and the music industries.


The nations of the world have bought her merchandise. But more importantly they have bought into the false idea that money, material things, wealth, sex, and the “good life” bring happiness. The nations follow the American Dream and live a life in mad pursuit of material things which never satisfy and only leave us empty and frustrated thinking, “Is this all there is to life?”

After many years of riotous living or living high on the hog or consuming more of her share of the world’s pie of natural resources than everyone else, America has accumulated a trade deficit with many countries. She’s like an old whore who no longer satisfies her customers. Her money pimps are losing their confidence in her value and may one day soon dump her completely to try to save their own investments. The American government has a deficit of some 18 trillion dollars to its Central Bankers. Those bankers in turn “sell” that debt to foreign investors like Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, who invest their reserves dollars back into the American banking system to help keep the world-wide financial system afloat.


As long as they have confidence that America is a good investment everything is okay. But that confidence is waning. Besides that, the American consumers have a similar massive debt to their banks. If a group of international countries, who possess large amounts of US dollars in their reserves, would dump their dollars, the whole financial banking system could tumble down in one day, the great financial crash prophesied by many important investment analyzers.
Read The New York Times bestseller book, The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System, by James Rickards.[3] Rickards gives a pretty good analysis of the current state of the world financial system. He says,

The coming collapse of the dollar and the international monetary system is entirely foreseeable. This is not a provocative conclusion.[4]

Many comment on how China and the Arab countries are buying up America’s charmed real-estate.

Can we deny that America is the only nation today that seems to most perfectly fit the image presented in Revelation of Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots? Could her daughters be the other great cities of the world that copy her and in turn promote her worship of materialism, sex, money and the things that money can buy? Like God said to decadent Judah through Jeremiah,

for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah,[5]

or through Isaiah where the Lord said,

Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.[6]

It seems that God does not hold today's massive cities in a favorable light. Even Thomas Jefferson, not known as a religious man, was no lover of cities and said he viewed them as "festering sores on the body politic."[7]

Is Western capitalism with its worship of material things as the ultimate goal of life, the Whore of Babylon, a false religion that has deceived the whole world and of which Karl Marx predicted would ultimately destroy itself? I am going to include Revelation 18 at this point to make sure you read it in its completeness and have a feeling for its message.

Notes:

[1] Revelation 18:3
[2] 1John 2:15-17
[3] Rickards, James; The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System; Penguin group; New York; 2014. http://www.amazon.com/The-Death-Money-Collapse-International/dp/1591846706 (accessed 03/2016)
[4] Ibid
[5] Jeremiah 2:28
[6] Isaiah 14:21
[7] Kaplan, Lawrence S.; Thomas Jefferson: Westward the Course of Empire; Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.; Maryland; p.207.

Chapter 28

Revelation Chapter 18
Revelation 18: Babylon the Great is fallen - YouTube

By Jesus Christ and the Apostle John

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.[1]


And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.[2]


And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thymine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shall find them no more at all.[3]


The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.[4]

Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no crafts-man, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.[5]

Notes:

[1] Revelation 18:1-3
[2] Revelation 18:4-8
[3] Revelation 18:9-14
[4] Revelation 18:15-19
[5] Revelation 18:20-24

Chapter 29


Music is the Message – The Sirens of Babylon!

Another aspect of Babylon the Whore in the book of Revelation is her music ministry. In one of the last verses in chapter eighteen which depicts the destruction of Babylon, we see what could be interpreted as the destruction of the music and entertainment industry.

And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee.[1]

In the same chapter we also have read that Babylon was

the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit.[2]

Jesus has shown us that words are actually spiritual in nature and therefore spiritual forces. He said,

The words I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life.[3]

Words are real things. They bless or they curse. They lift up or they pull down.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,[4] for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.[5]

The Apostle James even wrote a whole chapter about the tongue. The subject of the tongue is worth our while reviewing because it is a very important part of a successful life. Here it is for you to meditate on.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor lists. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.


Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.


Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.[6]

Are we bringing peace to the world with our words, or strife and division? Jesus said,

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.[7]

Jesus also said,


The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.[8]

In other words, if we have heard God’s Word and rejected it, we will be accountable for its truth whether we choose to believe it or not. Like the Apostle James has said,

To him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.[9]

In another discourse Jesus said,

Not which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Do not you understand that whatsoever enters into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man.[10]

That which goes into a man is not what condemns him, but that which comes out of a man. Could the music industry, with its capital in America and its often open rebellion against God and traditional American values and morals, be a foul spirit? Could the music industry actually be a spiritual demonic force, especially in its perverse lyrics promoting suicide, sexual promiscuity, violence, selfishness and Satanist Aleister Crowley’s “Do all that you will” philosophy? Nike has popularized his phrase in the popular ‘Just Do It’ slogan. Yes, ‘Just Do It,’ as long as it’s within the dictates of loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. That’s fine. Otherwise, Just Don’t Do It! Could the music and television and movie industry be polluting the world with the words they pour out against God and all that is called godly?

In the past America has produced a lot of good movies and a lot of good music, like the protest music of the 1960s and 70s. Let’s take a look at some of the songs from the Vietnam War period and afterwards.

Bryan McGuire sang one of my favorites called Eve of Destruction. [11] P. F. Sloan, who wrote the song, gave various metaphors showing that it certainly seemed like the world was headed for destruction. I am sorry I cannot include the lyrics here. Because of copyright laws you will have to check them out on the Internet if you are not familiar with them. Even today when we watch the evening news, it certainly seems like the world is on the eve of destruction. The Sloan/McGuire song reminds me of the words from Apostle Paul,

This know also, that in the Last Days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away….Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth…. But evil men shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceive.[12]

In an earlier song by Peter Seeger and L. Hays from the 1960s called If I Had a Hammer,[13] the authors sang a song of godly warning of the danger approaching our land because of the lack of love between people, the lack of justice and true freedom. The song brings to my mind the words of Moses who said,

Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shall thou follow, that thou may live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God gives thee.[14]

The Lord through Jeremiah said something similar many years later.

Thus says the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.[15]

Seeger and Hays are calling out for someone to hammer out righteous judgment against the evil which we see so prevalent in the world today. I think it is a universal sentiment within us which yearns for true justice and liberty for all mankind. It is certainly what we find in the writings of Moses and Jeremiah and the other prophets in both the Old and New Testaments.

In the song People Got to Be Free,[16] with words by Felix Cavaliere and music by Edward Brigati Jr., we find a simple melody reminding us that people everywhere just want to be free. They don’t want big business. They don’t want big government. They don’t want big wars. They just really want to live in peace and harmony. Sad to say, because of man’s sinful nature, and the lust and greed of evil men, those days of peace and harmony will not be reached until God Himself enters once again into His own creation during the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth. But even that wonderful Millennium period will end in war and destruction until God forms a new heaven and new earth where,

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.[17]

Finally, there will be peace on earth and goodwill towards men. In Bob Dylan’s Blowing in the Wind,[18] he contemplates in sadness how man seems incapable of learning from the past. Like Arnold Toynbee the famous historian said, quoting from Hegel,

The only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.[19]

Or as George Santayana said,

Those who ignore the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.[20]

I remember singing Dylan’s song as I sat contemplating my own life and the decision I, as a young adult, had to make concerning the war in Vietnam. Besides the words of Jesus, it was the songs of that era which gave me faith to resist the draft and refuse to become part of America’s war machine against the poor nations of the world. Country Joe and the Fish had a great song in 1-2-3 What Are We Fighting For?[21] And there were many others. As Solomon wrote,

Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.[22]

I had gotten a very low lottery draft number and was surely headed for the war after my college deferment ended. Nevertheless, the sorrow of heart that I experienced during my college years, wondering what I should do, caused me to seek desperately for answers to life’s big questions. That sorrow caused me to search for truth and in the end I found God.

In the song He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,[23] written by B. Scott and B. Russell and sung by the Hollies, we could hear the heart cry of youth of those years who rejected the dog-eat-dog values of modern society and yearned to live in brotherly love. As Jesus said,

No greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.[24]

And Apostle John so aptly put,

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.[25]

Scott and Russell’s song reminds me of the old Indian story from the Himalayan Mountains. It’s a true story from the life of Sadhu Sundar Singh.[26] Two men were travelling in the mountains when a terrible storm broke out. With much difficulty they struggle on in hope of finding shelter and safety in the next mountain village. As they travel, they come upon the body of a man dying from cold, unable to go forward. The men debate on whether they should stop and help this wearied stranger who was as good as dead already. But they are not able to come to an agreement. Finally one walks off in disgust, claiming they could barely save their own lives, let alone help some other poor chap nearly dead anyway.

The other traveler, however, feels the conviction of heart to stop and help that weakened soul. In great effort he manages to lift the nearly-frozen man to his shoulders and more slowly than before struggles forward. Soon, the extra effort and friction of the frozen man’s body against his own causes his own body to warm up. The weary traveler’s body also begins to revive from the same heat. Shortly, they come across the frozen body of the man who had refused to help. He had walked off in defiance to save his own life, only to die alone without the help of others. In the end, the dying man wasn’t so heavy after all, but was the salvation of the man who took compassion upon him. It’s a good lesson for us all, and similar to the message of Scott and Russell’s song He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.

Simon and Garfunkel’s song Bridge Over Troubled Waters[27] is another one of those nearly prophetic songs of that bye-gone era. I once saw the song performed by a Kenyan National Dance group, while on a humanitarian trip to Mozambique.

We had been invited to the National Dance Theater in downtown Maputo to watch Mozambique’s National Dance Troupe perform a dance rendering the country’s defeat of the Portuguese imperialistic power. It was a war dirge if ever I saw one honoring the National Police among whom we sat. However, after an unentertaining hour of Africans dancing to war rhythms, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, by the visiting Kenyan dancers.

The two renditions were like night and day. One was of war, while the other was of love and compassion. The words of Simon and Garfunkel’s song seemed as if God was speaking, His Holy Spirit calling down comforting words of assurance. God would Himself be the bridge over troubled waters and as Jesus had laid down His life, so His Holy Spirit would be with us to help us in our moments of trial and difficulty and encourage us to be bridges over troubled waters for one another.

Even a Coke-a-Cola commercial in the early 1970’s gave a message of peace and love. The song I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing,[28] sung by the Hillside Singers had a cute little rhythm but promoted world-wide brotherly love in a commercial. The mass media can in fact be used for good.

Of course you all remember the lyrics of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s All You Need Is Love.[29] That was all we really needed at that time, love. That was all we felt the whole world needed, love. That’s what we thought was the solution to the world’s problems, love; love for God and love for fellow man. As Jesus said,

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye love one another.[30]

Apostle Paul went on to say,


All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.[31]

He later wrote one of the most beautiful and thought-provoking chapters in the entire Bible, which I will reprint here for your reflection and encouragement. I will leave it in the original King James, although I’ll drop some of the “ths,” and change the word “charity” to “love” for better clarity.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.


Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.[32]

The songs which I have mentioned above surely have a Christian element in them. Some admittedly have more than others. They were very popular songs sung during the 1960s to 70s with a powerful affect on their audience, you and me. Surely they were more meaningful than much of what is presently being pumped out by the music industry. But perhaps today’s music is a fulfillment of Jesus’ own words which He spoke to His disciples when He was asked,

What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?[33]
Part of Jesus’ replies was,

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.[34]

Are we seeing the love of many waxing cold even in the songs we listen to for entertainment? Let me continue in my argument. I have previously applied the following verse to the banking system in an earlier article.

For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.[35]

But another element of the sorceries helping to deceive the whole world could clearly be the music and entertainment industries which promote materialism and the worship of money and the things that money can buy. The Bilderberg group contains financial barons and those who own the movie and television industries, among others. The music and entertainment industries promote self-worship and even an open worship of or fascination with the dark side and Satan himself. Could the sorceries that deceive the nations be in fact the power of the mass media: music, television, radio, video, computer games, and the like? Are there spiritual realities behind these devices, inspiring them?

Scotland’s Alan Watts, former author of radio show and website Cutting Through the Matrix, said,

Never watch the television. Never watch the television. It’s the greatest scientific indoctrination tool ever devised. Have you figured that out? It has changed the whole culture of nations, not just one nation. Why do you think it was mandatory that everyone have access to televisions in Britain by the government? Why do you think China is under the same program right now, because they love to be entertained? Do you really believe that? Most of your ideas and opinions come from television, because you mimic what you see. Never watch the television. You can’t even watch a movie unless you do it critically.[36]

Could the mass media with music, television, radio, video, computer games, rock concerts and the like, be the “sirens” of today’s modern world? The "sirens" of Greek mythology were beautiful woman who

sat on the shore and sang with voices seductive and compelling that anyone who heard their song became absolutely mesmerized with them. So mesmerized, in fact, that they became obsessed with reaching the shore to get closer to the sound.[37]

But the sailors were being deceived, as the Sirens were actually some sort of beasts luring the sailors to their death.

The term "siren" is used both in ancient and modern mythology, as well as in modern language in general, to describe something that is simultaneously dangerous and compelling. In later myths and legends, any creature that lured a man in, only to cause harm, might be considered "a siren" in the general context of the term.[38]

Were the ancient Greek mythologies actually warning us of the spiritual realities and how music and beauty can be part of it? Is it any wonder that today’s top musicians are beautiful woman, many of whose seductive sexual charms are used to lure us into accepting the message of their music, which may in fact be dangerous to us spiritually? Are the beautiful actresses or handsome actors on television or in the movies there for the same reason, to get us to accept the message that is being propagated?

I propose that America is deceiving the world with her sorceries. America is contaminating the world through her ungodly music. She is contaminating the world through her ungodly television programs, movies and addictive computer programs.

America is contaminating the world through her humanistic, atheistic, anti-God philosophy found in education, science, economics, and politics and propagated in the movies, music, television programs for both old and young alike. Surely it is by the “sorcery” of modern mass media and the Internet that the world is being convinced that violent acts are a normal day occurrence, that traditional sexual limits are out of fashion and restrictive, that the worship of material things, and man himself will bring ultimate happiness and fulfillment.

Man is being convinced that God is dead and that man through his own evolutionary process will succeed in bringing peace on earth and good will to all men without the need of God or the supernatural “myths” of our “unenlightened” ancestors. May God help us! For those interested in watching a documentary about the satanic side of Hollywood view the following link below entitled Hollywood Unmasked by Dr. Jason Kovar.[39]

Notes:

[5] Matthew 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
[26] Cyril J Davey, Sadhu Sundar Singh, STL Books, 1980, pg. 133.
[38] Ibid

Chapter 30

Football, Fatima and Fado – the FIFA-Olympic Connection

The story goes that the last dictator of Portugal, J.A. Salazar, who was Prime Minister from 1932 to 1968, when asked what was necessary to rule the country, responded with the three ‘Fs:’ football, Fatima and Fado. He was saying that all that he needed to control the country was sports, religion and music.

Fatima, of course, stood for the religious element. The town of Fatima was where the famous three Catholic children were supposed to have seen a vision and to have received a message from the Virgin Mary. The apparition event took place just prior to WWI. Portuguese tradition has it that Mary’s appearance at Fatima and the public’s embracing response was the reason that Portugal was able to remain neutral during the war.

The ‘F’ for Fado stood for the typical sad folk music popular in Portugal at the time, while the ‘F’ for football, obviously, stood for sports. During those years Benfica was Portugal’s greatest football team, and Eusebio, a famous striker, was the star. When a famous Italian team offered Eusebio a large contract to come play in Italy, Salazar prohibited it, saying that Eusebio was a national treasure. Salazar knew the value of football over the masses and so kept their champion at home.

We all remember the words of Karl Marx, who said that religion was the opiate of the masses. Salazar amplified the opiate to include the music and sports industries, which at the time of Salazar were still in their infancy in comparison with today. But of course the Romans and Greeks had used sports in the same way. In the time of Rome’s decline it is said that the people demanded more circus and bread even while Rome was being surrounded by its enemies.

Today we could amplify the list of opiates further and include the giant commercial centers where thousands rush every weekend to shop for all the things that money can buy. These are the new temples of mammon, where the faithful go to worships the new idols. We buy gadgets that give us more time on the Internet where we can watch more sports, music or religious events, or even have Internet sex or watch movies that promote all the values we don’t want our children or grandchildren to have. And yet, with all our things and momentary pleasure, we still do not satisfy the deepest yearning of our soul for truth, love and eternal happiness. Like the Apostle John has said,

Love not the world neither the things of the world for all that is of the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, is not of the father but of the world. And the world passes away and the lust thereof, but whosoever doeth the will of God abides forever.[1]

Jesus said something similar,

A man’s life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses.[2]

Apostle James put it a different way. He said,

Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.[3]

The apostle is saying here that if we are lusting after the things of the world, or living for them only, we are committing spiritual adultery with the world. That is why we will never be ultimately happy. Man is not just a physical being. He is spiritual being, and he must seek first his spiritual needs. As Jesus said,

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.[4] Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceed out of the mouth of God.[5]

In the Old Testament the Lord said through Isaiah,

Why do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And you labour for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline you ear, and come unto me: hear and your soul shall live.[6]

Man is constantly trying to find happiness in the things that are not eternal and therefore in the end do not bring ultimate happiness. His amusements help him escape from the predicament he finds himself in. They help him escape from his life without meaning and purpose. They help him escape the daily grind of making a living to acquire more things. In the end, he winds up empty, wondering if this is all there is to life. He ends up concluding he should “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.”[7] He spends his time trying to take care of and satisfy his body and its needs and desires, while neglecting his spirit, his eternal soul which will last for eternity. Like the old poem He Fed His Body But Starved His Soul.

There was a man that some folks called great,
said he’d done good, had grappled with fate.
He’d won some fame and some riches, too.
But in the crowd there were those that knew;
the soul of him so miserably small,
that real greatness he knew not at all.
For all through life he had missed the real goal,
he fed his body but starved his soul.

He had no time for the little things,
that so much peace and contentment brings;
a faithful friend or a child’s tender look,
a promise sweet from the dear Old Book,
a little talk with a Friend Divine,
a little walk where the wildflowers twine.
He was just half a man, not well rounded, whole;
who fed his body but starved his soul.

And when that day of accounting came
in God’s own time, death called his name;
then the poor, frail, worthless, empty shell,
he groomed and fed and tended so well,
was left behind just an earthbound clod,
while his shriveled soul went to face his God.
All unprepared and paid the full toll,
for he had fed his body and starved his soul.

So come my friend and take time today,
to read God’s Word and walk in His ways.
We’ll follow the trail that higher goes,
to regions where the soul larger grows.
You’ll never hear them say of you then,
just one of the common herd of men.
So if you would be well-rounded and whole,
read God’s Word to nourish your soul.[8]

Are we feeding our physical body with food and drink and entertainments of the flesh to the full, while our spirits are empty and longing for satisfaction? Do we feel like the Rolling Stones’ famous song, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.[9] We can’t get no satisfaction because all we’re trying to do is satisfy the flesh. But the trouble is that the flesh is never satisfied. It always wants more and more and never has enough. Like the Proverb says,

The eyes of man are never satisfied.[10]

No matter how many beautiful woman a man has seen, he will always look at another one. Like the rich Romans in the time of Rome’s great wealth and abundance who would attend banquets full of food and sex and alcohol. They would eat to the filling of their stomachs, only to vomit it all up, so they could fill themselves up once again. Like some of the scandals of recent times of rich politicians or wealthy businessmen well in years seeking sex with young girls hardly eighteen years of age. The flesh is never satisfied, it always wants more. But as Jesus said,

The flesh profits nothing.[11]

But in this article I wanted to look at the World Cup and Olympics and see what kind of affect they have on the economies of the countries that host the games. I also wanted to see if these sports events are part of the spiritual web woven to catch men within its borders and prohibit them from finding the way, the truth and the life. John Perkin’s Economic Hitman[12] which we have talked about earlier, explains of the infrastructure contracts that Third World countries are forced to accept from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These contracts ultimately leave the country poorer than when they started. Are FIFA and the Olympics part of the great financial sorcery to bind heavier burdens on the poor economies of the world in order to keep those economies and those peoples submissive to the international bankers?

Some time ago I did a study about the countries who had hosted World Cup and Olympic events. Some articles on the subject and a YouTube link can be found at the following footnote.[13] I had seen the affects of these games in Portugal, Greece, and Spain, where the governments invested large amounts of euros loaned from Europe. These loans went to improve infrastructure and to build the needed stadiums in the hope of reaping the financial benefits of the games. In the end we found out that the financial benefits hardly warranted such a financial investment, and the government and people were left with a big financial loan to pay back.

That’s why we saw the manifestations in Brazil before the World Cup soccer games, as some have come to realize that the games bring no relief to the poor and needy. They only serve to increase the wealth of the wealthy through construction contracts. Some cities are left with stadiums they do not know how they will pay off or maintain. But since football is part of the web to keep men caught, as Salazar so confessed, the Internationals keep sports as a high priority on their agenda. They want a pacific populace. They want a population which will not rise up against their masters, the financial elite. They want a population that will submit and adhere to the financial injustices perpetrated against them.

They bind heavy burdens grievous to be born and they themselves touch not the burdens with one finger.[14]

The bankers and politicians create big national debts and then expect the population to pay it back to them. Something is wrong with this picture, but the silent majority blindly go like sheep to the slaughter. Sports is one of today’s opiates that keep them walking in submission to their corrupt leaders.

But one of the problems today is the Muslim youth, many of whom have not integrated into the Western society. They remain aloof and therefore out of control through the normal methods of manipulation. The religious element usually helps governments control their populations. They’ll gain financial or influential favors because of their cooperation with the government. But radical Islamic movements from the Middle East embittered by the events that have occurred there are in this case feeding rebellion and violent acts of aggression as we have recently seen in France. But that’s a whole other topic. Let’s keep to FIFA and sports.

Of course FIFA always justifies the extra expense for the host country, saying it is good for the country's pride and national identity. Local government politicians will also parrot FIFA’s mantra knowing that big money coming into the country will mean contracts for their friends and supporters and something more in their own pockets. In the end, FIFA always manages to walk away richer than before, while the host country almost always has a great burden to pay and often some “white elephant” stadiums that are a burden on the local economy. In recent years, only Germany and the USA have had World Cup or Olympic events in which they have managed to break even. Many countries are waking up to the fact that the World Cup and Olympics are bad business.

But the truth is that for generations governments have used sports as a way to distract the population, keep them content, and foment national pride. Sports are an amusement. They keep men from thinking about their own problems. A man may have a poor and miserable job and life, but he can find self-esteem in his favorite champion who helps his team to victory over their rivals. The spectator gains euphoria through the victory his team wins on the playing field. His mind is distracted from his own wretched condition and he finds a sense of meaning in his favorite player and team.

Interestingly enough, the word amusement means “away from thinking.” During the time of the spectacle the fan is not thinking about his problems, but is absorbed in the game, as if he himself were playing. He forgets his problems and worries and dissatisfactions with life and his government, and for those moments he is amused. The word “muse” comes from the Greek for “to think” or “to ponder.” As in the word “atheist” the “a” before a word is used as a negative. A theist is a person who believes in God. An atheist is a person who does not believe in God. “Muse” means to think or ponder. “Amuse” means to not think or ponder or to be away from thinking or pondering. We seek out amusements for that very reason. They help us get away from thinking about our problems, whatever they may be.

Karl Marx predicted that the poor man would eventually turn against the rich and over throw their unjust rule over the poor. Why has not this prediction come to pass, when the poor far outnumber the rich? As the Caesars of Rome and as Salazar of Portugal confessed and the elite of the world know, amusements - whether they be music, sports or religious events - are important to control the masses and govern a nation. The rich have learned they need to share a tiny bit of their wealth with the poor to keep them passively submissive. Today we have the middle class, though many claim it’s a diminishing sector. We also have politicians who are suppose to be attentive to the needs and wants of their constituents, but are actually controlled by big money and its interests. It’s a sad day for the poor man. But never mind - let’s go have a beer and watch the game! Shall we? [To go to the next chapters click here]
Notes:

[7] 1Corinthians15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, What advantages it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die.
[10] Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
[11] John 6:63
[14] Luke 11:46

All Bible verses are from the King James Bible, although I have changed some of the old English. Any similarity to any modern version is only by coincidence. Bible verses other than the King James have been foot-noted properly.

Copyright @ Dennis M. Edwards (photos used from Google Images for educational purposes only)

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