On May 12, 2021

NOTES ON WHAT GOD WANTS: PROVOCATION TO DIVINE PLEASURE OR TO DIVINE WRATH Part II

SCRIPTURE: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?” – MICAH 6:8, AMPC

PART I: What is ‘Good’?

PART II: WHAT IS ‘JUSTICE’?

PART III: What is ‘Mercy’?

PART IV: What is ‘Humility’?

PART V: What Does God Want?

QUOTATIONS

“For there is but one essential Justice which cements society, and one Law which establishes this Justice. This Law is Right Reason, which is the true rule of all commandments and prohibitions. Whoever neglects this Law, whether written or unwritten, is necessarily unjust and wicked.” – MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO, ‘De Legibus’ (On the Laws), 51 BC; edited

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in Judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” – J.R.R. TOLKIEN, ‘The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954

“Few will have the greatness to bend History itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” – ROBERT F. KENNEDY, “Visions of Change: The Ripple of Hope,” Speech to University of Cape Town in honor of the Annual Day of Affirmation, June 6, 1966

Selah.

FIRST THOUGHTS

There is in the American Church today a New Doctrine that foreswears ever judging another individual. As in, ever. That is to say, one more time: Ever. It is based on a grotesque misreading of Jesus’ warning found in a much-quoted passage in the Gospel.

I cite it in the Amplified Bible translation for a vastly more nuanced and accurate reading of this Principle.

“Do not judge and criticize and condemn [others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though assuming the office of a judge], so that you will not be judged [unfairly]. For just as you [hypocritically] judge others [when you are sinful and unrepentant], so will you be judged; and in accordance with your standard of measure [used to pass out judgment], judgment will be measured to you.” – MATTHEW 7:1-2

Did you get that, beloved: “Unfairly.” “Self-righteously.” “Hypocritically.” “Unrepentantly.” This is why Christ Himself was fully within The Law when He publicly cried out against the money lenders and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the rest of the hypocrites.

‘Truthful Defamation’ from an Authority borne of Integrity.

However, had the Messiah been subject to ‘The American Gospel,’ He would have been guilty of Falsified Defamation, and thereby become subject to Hellfire! Selah.

WHAT IS JUDGING? Taken from the Greek term, ‘Krino’ [κρίνω], it translates as: “To divide, separate, make a distinction in order to come to a good decision about a matter; to distinguish [between right and wrong]; typically refers to making a determination of right or wrong (innocence or guilt), especially on an official (legal) standard. We only judge accurately by intelligent comparison and contrast based on God’s Word, i.e., to approve (prefer) what is correct and reject what is inferior (wrong).”

As the false wizard in Oz once put it in 1939, “Now that’s a horse of a different color.”

Again, if we live by ‘The American (False) Gospel,’ we would never make any Distinctions between right and wrong, true or false, good and evil – which is precisely what the Church has chosen repeatedly and nearly uniformly to justify the Donald Trump presidency.

THE RESULT. Thus do we have the bloody brutality of JANUARY 6, 2021, resulting in five deaths, the violent attempt to murder American political leaders in the effort to overthrow the Republic, further division in the Nation and the Church, the spawning of a new militancy among American Christians and conservatives to take up arms against each other, and far worse:

The utter trashing of the Christian Witness for possibly generations to come.

How could this have happened, beloved, in just four short years? What Transformative Force of Idea has so overthrown indeed, the Christian Ethos in America, pitching us helter-skelter toward the destruction of the American Order?

The next section will explore that vitally important question.

THE CHURCH OF NO OFFENSE

Growing directly out of the False Teaching of ‘Never Judge,’ American Christians have been taught, either by affirmation or avoidance, to be sure to just ‘Be nice no matter what.’ Or perhaps even more to the present point:

Never offend! Ever!

Here’s how one online journal put it: “There is a false belief held by some Christians, sort of a Christian Myth, that if you are a good Christian you will not offend anyone. In fact, a Christian who offends people is sometimes considered to be just one more arrogant, insensitive, narrow-minded Christian, because it is thought that ‘true’ Christians are sensitive and considerate, and never offend anyone.” – EDITORS, “Why Does the Truth Offend?” ‘Truth or Tradition,’ 2014; edited

THE NEED FOR LEADERSHIP. I just this very day came across a Scriptural Principle that was a profound eye-opener for this issue. It is found in a Letter from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church in the briefest of incisive instruction to a rebellious, unruly church.

“Now which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of correction, or with love and in a spirit of gentleness?” – 1 CORINTHIANS 4:21, AMPC

In this one, pointed and very likely somewhat passionate inquisition, Paul cut straight to the Principle I have driven home repeatedly: How God (or a proper elder of the Church) treats us is largely up to us!

As one theologian explains it better than I: “The manner in which Paul comes to them will depend on ‘themselves.’ If they show a rebellious spirit, he will come to them with a rod. If on the other hand, they are humble and submissive, he will come in love and a spirit of gentleness.” – WILLIAM MACDONALD, ‘Believer’s Bible Commentary,’ 1995, p. 1759; edited

In other words: Paul ‘Made a distinction’ between the Rebellious and the Humble – and acted accordingly. Which brings me to still another important Principle, much misunderstood these days.

LEX TALIONIS. “‘An eye for an eye’ (Biblical Hebrew: עַ֚יִן תַּ֣חַת עַ֔יִן‎) or the ‘Law of Retaliation’ is the Principle that a person who has injured another person is to be penalized to a similar degree by the injured party. In softer interpretations, it means the victim receives the [estimated] value of the injury in compensation. The intent behind the Principle was to ‘Restrict’ compensation to the value of the loss.” – cf. Exodus 21:24; Romans 12:17-19

Inherent in this ‘Law of Justice,’ as I prefer to call it, are TWO RELATED IDEAS: (1) God is a God of Fairness who Rewards that which is good, but also Punishes that which is evil; (2) He is also a God of Mercy, who will not allow a punishment to exceed the severity of the sin or crime.

This Fundamental Principle of Justice is found in the Old Testament Canon, of course, and universally in other cultural codes as with Babylonian Law (the Code of Hammurabi), and ancient Roman Law in ‘Jus Civile’ (Civil Law) and Jus Gentium (Law of Nations).

THE AMERICAN CHURCH. Astoundingly, the Modern (or Postmodern) Church has effectively jettisoned these Foundational Codes of legal and social justice, in favor of what most we now recognize as overwhelmingly a ‘Seeker Friendly’ Doctrine.

In a scathing critique of this approach, BILL BLANKSCHAEN believes that churches who spend all their effort trying to please newcomers end up Forsaking the Gospel entirely. As I have repeatedly argued, this turns the Church into a social club, more concerned with appearance and sociality than with God’s Ultimate Truth.

He writes of what can only be described as a ‘Silly American Church.’

“The Gospel looks stupid to seekers. Deal with it. Like Paul said above, it’s all foolishness until the Spirit opens their eyes. All too often, your church feels more like a middle school cafeteria than a Church storming the Gates of Hell. It’s as if the message is: ‘Won’t you please like us, pretty please! Let’s connect on Facebook – BFF LOL!’ We should expect the Gospel Light to be offensive to those in darkness – not us, the Gospel. Jesus warned us that would be the case. So why are we so focused on creating an environment that makes those who are perishing feel comfortable?” – “Why I Left Your Seeker-Friendly Church,” ‘Patheos,’ August 15, 2013; edited

And this, beloved, is precisely why I keep walking out of Silly or Soft Church. May your experience be vastly more ‘Adult’ than mine.

THE TEACHING

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?” – MICAH 6:8, AMPC

Given all this, then, what does the Prophet mean when he calls us to ‘Do Justly’? How does that look in real time, especially in our present hour of rampant corruption and compromise? Let’s take a look.

JUSTICE. From the important Hebrew root term, ‘Mishpat’ [מִשְׁפָט]: “Properly, a right verdict, judgment or sentence handed down from a legitimate authority; refers to ‘that which is due;’ the act of rightly deciding a case; the execution of a decision; the affirmation of right or privilege; impartiality; equal distribution of right in expressing opinions; fair representation of facts respecting merit or demerit; indictive retribution; merited punishment.” DK: This demands that we ‘make a distinction’ between the just and the unjust.

DO JUSTLY. Taken from the Hebrew word for actually ‘Doing’ Justice, ‘Asah’ [עָשָׂה], meaning: “To work, labor, toil (vigorously), construct or accomplish justice in the land or situation; i.e., to ‘make it happen’ as a function of one’s moral or ethical obligation to God and man; to show faithfulness or if necessary, to execute vengeance or make war on behalf of the oppressed; to actually take action with effectiveness to bring justice to a situation.” DK: The strong rebuke of an oppressor is implied here; cf. the Chik-fil-A story.

COMMENTARY. “To Do Justice means to know and seek the Justice and Righteousness of God in our own lives and in the world around us. It is important to note that we are to DO Justice. It is not just a thought, but something that we act upon, living out justice not just in what we say but in what we ‘do.’ Our God is a God of Justice. Every concept of what is right and what is wrong has been handed down by Him throughout the ages, even setting the foundation for every modern legal system. Psalm 89:14 is a prayer to God, acknowledging that “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.’” – JASON SOROSKY, ‘Christianity.com,’ February 8, 2021; edited, emphasis my own

ACTION! We cannot escape the powerful emphasis upon the Overt Act of bringing about Justice in our own lives and households, and in our community or nation. This is part of the call of the Christian champion of the downcast, the oppressed, the poor, and the otherwise disenfranchised.

I will next argue that the majority of the American Church has deferred to the rich, the powerful, the famous, the prosperous, and the racially dominant under Trump’s radically Redefined Gospel.

THE NEW MARTYRS

Now right about here I am going to say what most folks know, but will not or cannot reveal, especially including American Pastors.

FACT. All those who attend Church today who are ‘outspoken’ about their opposition to Donald Trump are fast becoming a Class of New Martyrs in America.

Don’t believe it? Consider the following, irrefutable evidence, culled from a variety of sources, some of whom are reluctant to speak out, for the very same reasons this obvious yet still Hidden Truth remains largely unspoken: People are afraid.

Some of the following is documented, other statements more anecdotal.

FIRST CANARY IN THE COAL MINE. Washington Post reporter and White House bureau chief PHILIP RUCKER reported this in an article on March 1, 2016: “MARK DEMOSS, who for many years served as chief of staff to Falwell Sr., and considered the televangelist a second father, said in an interview that it was a mistake for Falwell Jr. to endorse Trump. He said the Republican front-runner’s insult-laden campaign has been a flagrant rejection of the values Falwell Sr. espoused and Liberty promotes on its campus … ‘I’ve been concerned for Liberty University for a couple of months now, and I’ve held my tongue. I think a lot of what we’ve seen from Donald Trump will prove to be difficult to explain by Evangelicals who have backed him. Watching last weekend’s escapades about the KKK, I don’t see how an Evangelical backer can feel good about that.’” For which he was ousted from the Board.

SECOND CANARY. About this time, I had been working at Liberty University for 10 years, from 2006 to 2016, with nearly perfect Five Star teaching ratings (cf. ‘Rate My Professor’ website). In the early part of 2016, I had been blogging against Trump and for Ted Cruz on my private Facebook account, when I received a blindside, unsigned Termination Notice via email in March 2016. Thinking this surely had to be a mistake, since I had also been in affable relationship with Jerry and Becki Falwell, and they knew of my professional record and had commended me for it personally. As I discovered the truth, I reached out to Liberty faculty members, who to this day have remained effectivelyl 100% silent about my firing, though I had known many, some quite personally, for years.

CONTEMPORARY CANARIES. There are only FIVE NAMES that I am aware of that are high profile, nationally recognized Christian Voices that have remained comparatively consistent in their visible warnings about Donald Trump. There are a few others, but these stand out for me as Heroes to the Christian Cause for Faith and Truth. Not perfect, just Heroic.

RUSSELL MOORE. “When I saw the images of ‘Jesus Saves’ signs, next to gallows being constructed to hang the vice president of the United States and other officials, my response to that was one of rage, just internal rage. Because I love my country. I love the United States of America. I love Jesus more. And what you see happening there was both an attack on our country and also an attack on Jesus Christ.” – JON WARD, ‘Yahoo News,’ January 15, 2021; edited

DAVID FRENCH. “This is a grievous and dangerous time for American Christianity. The frenzy and the fury of the post-election period has laid bare the sheer idolatry and fanaticism of Christian Trumpism. A significant segment of the Christian public has fallen for conspiracy theories, has mixed nationalism with the Christian gospel, has substituted a bizarre mysticism for reason and evidence, and rages in fear and anger against their political opponents—all in the name of preserving Donald Trump’s power … I’ll be honest. I wrote this newsletter angry. I don’t like to write angry. But there are times when the lies are so blatant and the dangers so profound that anger isn’t just appropriate, it may even be necessary. I believe now is one of those times.” – ‘The French Press Dispatch,’ December 13, 2020; edited

BETH MOORE. “I do not believe these are days for mincing words. I’m 63 1/2 years old & I have never seen anything in these United States of America I found more astonishingly seductive & dangerous to the saints of God than Trumpism. This Christian nationalism is not of God. Move back from it … Fellow leaders, we will be held responsible for remaining passive in this day of seduction to save our own skin while the saints we’ve been entrusted to serve are being seduced, manipulated, USED and stirred up into a lather of zeal devoid of the Holy Spirit for political gain. And, God help us, we don’t turn from Trumpism to Bidenism. We do not worship flesh and blood. We do not place our faith in mortals. We are the church of the living God. We can’t sanctify idolatry by labeling a leader our Cyrus. We need no Cyrus. We have a king. His name is Jesus.” – ‘Twitter,’ December 13, 2020; edited

BEN SASSE. “Senator Ben Sasse spoke out with a message for those who are angry with his criticism of President Donald Trump. Sasse addressed the Nebraska Republican Central Committee, specifically those who are threatening to censure him for condemning Trump and the riots of Jan. 6. ‘He then riled a mob that attacked the Capitol – many chanting “Hang Pence.” If that president were a Democrat, we both know how you’d respond. But, because he had “Republican” behind his name, you’re defending him,’ Sasse said. According to Sasse, the anger from those who want to censure him is because he believes ‘that politics is not about the weird worship of one dude.’” – ETHAN LEE, “Sen. Sasse Issues Statement,” ‘KETV,’ February 5, 2021; edited

LIZ CHENEY. As recently as this week, here is a report of Trump Republicans against now-ousted Representative Liz Cheney, former Chair of the House Republican Conference, for daring to vote to impeach the former president on Constitutional and ethical grounds.

“Republican lawmakers friendly to Donald Trump want Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) removed from her leadership post. ‘It’s at a boiling point,’ one Republican lawmaker told The Hill. ‘This isn’t about Liz Cheney wanting to impeach Donald Trump; this isn’t about Donald Trump at all. It’s about Liz Cheney being completely out of synch with the Majority of our conference.’ Cheney, the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House, has taken heat from within the party since her vote to impeach. She has been criticized for consistently condemning the former president’s actions during the [‘Christian’] Insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th and for saying that her Trump-loving colleagues need to move on from his election loss.” – PETER WADE, “Republicans Who Cry Cancel Culture Want to Cancel Liz Cheney,” ‘Rolling Stone,’ May 1, 2021; edited

Five Names. Five Loud Voices against how many Christian-Conservatives in the United States in 2021? Here are some numbers:

THE DATA. A survey by the Pew Research Center in 2014 found the Evangelical percentage of the population was 25:4; Catholics, 20.8; and Mainline Protestants, 14.7. Taken together, that is about 61% of the American populace. That means that of the roughly 333,000,000 people in our country, 203,000,000 of us identify as “Christian,” 80% of whom support Donald Trump. That means his power base consists of ‘162,000,000 Americans’ as of 2014.

I fully expect that those numbers have gone up since the publication of that report nearly seven years ago.

THE NEVER TRUMP MOVEMENT. Without even looking at the verifiable data and demographics, this powerfully suggests that there is a ‘Solid Minority’ – but not always vocal – Group of Americans who have chosen to Resist Donald Trump’s impact on both the Church and the State: The ‘Never Trumps.’

From ‘Wikipedia’ and dozens of other sources, we glean this about its Origins.

“The Never Trump movement, also called the #nevertrump, Stop Trump, anti-Trump, or Dump Trump movement, began as an effort on the part of a group of Republicans and other prominent Conservatives (known as Never Trump Republicans) to prevent Republican front-runner and now former President of the United States Donald Trump from obtaining the Republican Party presidential nomination and following his nomination the presidency for the 2016 United States presidential election. Trump remained unsupported by 20 percent of Republican members of Congress in the general election. Following Trump’s election in November 2016, some in the movement refocused their efforts on defeating Trump in 2020.” – March 28, 2021; edited

Though this report notes ERICK ERICKSON as its founder, because of Erickson’s frequent political vacillations, the actual heartbeat and consistent rally point of The Movement is KENDAL CASEY UNRUH.

“‘Free the Delegates’ was an American political effort within the Republican Party, formed in June 2016 by delegate and Rules Committee member Kendal Unruh to the 2016 Republican National Convention (July 18-21, 2016) with the goal of nominating a candidate other than Donald Trump, who won a plurality of primary votes and pledged delegates.

Free the Delegates movement was started by eight time National Delegate and former RNC Platform Committee member, Kendal Unruh of Castle Rock, Colorado, who teaches high school government at the Jim Elliot Christian School in Denver. Unruh was a 2016 Cruz delegate for Colorado to the Convention and a member of the Rules Committee. Unruh was the sponsor of the ‘Conscience Clause’ in the RNC Rules Committee. The Amendment was to codify the legal right of the delegates to unbind from the candidate(s) who had been selected in the primaries. She was quickly joined by fellow Colorado delegate Regina Thomson. The movement was aided by BEAU CORRELL of Winchester, Virginia, an attorney who was elected delegate to the Republican National Convention. On July 11, Correll won a federal lawsuit in Correll v. Herring. The effect of the victory was to prevent state law from binding delegates.” – ‘Wikipedia,’ December 24, 2020; edited

THE REALITY. While the Movement won the battle for delegates, they lost the political war. Beneath all the wrangling among and between delegates and Convention leaders, I have personal knowledge that it was none other than a little weasel named REINHOLD RICHARD “REINCE” PRIEBUS, then RNC Chairman, who strongarmed Unruh with credible threats against her career and person, followed by innumerable death threats to this very day.

I can relate.

TRUMP THE VIOLENT. Here is perhaps the most damning evidence of all, captured indelibly in Trump’s Speech to his supporters on January 6, 2021, just before they violently stormed the Capitol – at his unmistakable encouragement – resulting in many injuries, arrests, five deaths and a deepening ‘Fracture in the American Order.’

“And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore … So we’re going to, we’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. I love Pennsylvania Avenue. And we’re going to the Capitol, and we’re going to try and give … our Republicans, the weak ones because the strong ones don’t need any of our help. We’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.” – Transcript, US News and Associated Press, January 13, 2021; edited

And they did walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. And they did fight like hell, breaching the Capitol by overpowering Capitol Police, one of whom they killed. And they did scream out the name of the “weak ones,” including Vice President Mike Pence, who they desired to murder by hanging. And they did play “the strong ones with pride and boldness” in order to “take back our country” by an attempted violent overthrow of the US government.

Selah. Selah.

AMERICAN MACHIAVELLIANS. Rather than chronicle the many personal threats against my own life by Trump supporters, to say nothing of rampant discrimination in our churches and the workplace, here is a scathing report by none other than ‘The Times of Israel,’ on January 5, 2021. – cf. NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI, ‘The Prince,’ 1532

“The ten Republican lawmakers who joined House Democrats in voting to impeach US President Donald Trump have reportedly been receiving death threats from Trump supporters livid over their abandonment of the president following last week’s Capitol insurrection.

The ‘Daily Beast’ reported Thursday that the ten lawmakers — Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, John Katko of New York, Dan Newhouse and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Peter Meijer and Fred Upton of Michigan, David Valadao of California and Tom Rice of South Carolina — have seen their social media flooded with chilling messages and warnings that their days in Washington would be numbered.”

PASTORS: Are you hearing this? Is any one of you at least concerned, if not deeply offended that the Forces of Apostate Christians are the ones who head up this blasphemous, illegal and violent Insurrection? Are you listening?

Dear God, dearest Lord, where are Your Leaders today?

LAST THOUGHTS

Beloved, I am convinced down to my bones that this is all leading somewhere, somewhere darker than anything Americans could possibly imagine in their bleakest dreams and visions.

Unless it is arrested. And soon.

Consider this riveting testimony from 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, ERIKA JACOBY, one of many, many such warnings available online for those who will listen.

Quoted at length again, to drive home my ongoing argument with the American Church, that she is utterly Blind to the coming perils for Christians, so long as she remains either silent about or actively supportive of Donald Trump.

“Erika Jacoby was a child when virulent anti-Semitism swept through Hungary in the 1930s and 1940s. She remembers her brother being beaten. She remembers thugs grabbing her grandfather and shaving off his beard. She recalls how she was not allowed to go to the park on Sundays. Simply being there and being Jewish was a provocation. A young child at the time, she was incapable of understanding what was happening …

When the marchers in Charlottesville chanted ‘Jews will not replace us,’ Erika says she was ‘physically shivering.’ When Trump, the president of the United States, described these marchers as ‘very fine people,’ she felt betrayed and fearful. ‘Why didn’t the president denounce these racists?’ she asks. She says it felt like ‘a scream coming at you without anyone stopping it.’

When the Trump administration authorized the use of smoke cannisters and flash-bang grenades to disperse peaceful protesters so Trump could pose with a Bible in front of a church, Erika was aghast. She is a religious woman. For her, the Bible ‘should be everything relaxing and loving.’ But Erika says Trump wielded the Bible like a warrior flaunting his weapon.

Erika similarly recoiled when Trump deployed camouflaged federal officers in unmarked cars to crack down on American citizens in Portland. She knows what can happen when the military is used against its own people. She was also frightened when Trump adherents, encouraged by the president, threateningly brandished weapons in state capitals. The public display of guns terrifies Erika. She has experienced what it’s like to have a gun pointed at you. In Auschwitz, she witnessed people being shot to death.

‘Erika holds Trump responsible’ for this poisonous and combustible brew. She describes the words that come out of his mouth as ‘ugly’ and ‘venomous.’ She says they make her physically ill.” – ALAN GARFIELD, ‘Delaware Online,’ October 25, 2020; edited

This chilling commentary is summed up incisively by another Holocaust survivor, ERIC BLAUSTEIN, in a piece by ‘Chicago Tribune’ reporter DENISE CROSBY on October 20, 2016; edited.

“I’ve Seen This Before – in Nazi Germany. This man [Trump] frightens me. I watch what is happening … I can’t believe this is America.”

CODA. In a sobering commentary from DIETRICH BONHOEFFER’S Anti-Fascist, unfinished masterpiece, ‘Ethics,’ written in 1943, he speaks to us today with these words in a moving summary of this work.

“Seldom has a generation been as uninterested as ours in any kind of Ethical Theory or Program … Today we have villains and saints against [one another], in fully public view. The gray on gray of a sultry, rainy day has turned into the black cloud and bright lightning flash of a Thunderstorm. The contours are sharply drawn. Reality is laid bare. Shakespeare’s characters are among us. The villain and the saint have little or nothing to do with Ethical programs. They arise from primeval depths, and with their appearance tear open the Demonic and Divine Abyss out of which they come, allowing us brief glimpses of their suspected secrets.”

Dietrich was executed by Adolf Hitler at the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp on April 9, 1945, by hanging naked on piano or ‘music wire,’ razor sharp so as to increase his suffering and humiliation.

The camp doctor would say: ‘I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed … In the almost 50 years I have worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.’” – cf. PAUL GALLOWAY, “Nazis Took Pastor’s Life, But Not Faith,” ‘Chicago Tribune,’ April 7, 1995; edited

My byline on my business cards and email signature is headed with the phrase, ‘Something’s Coming,’ a clear reference to Christ’s Warnings in John 9:4, that we must work while we still can, for a Dark Time approaches when we can no longer do so.

Therefore, I close with the now iconic lines of German theologian MARTIN NIEMÖLLER, whose piercing words echo down 80 years of lost lessons by America and the West.

“First, they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.”

As I reread those verses out loud to myself as I was finishing this Commentary, a thought occurred to me that I have not had before. I share it with you here, for your solemn reflection.

‘We are all Jews now.’ Every single one of us who dare to say, ‘No!’ May HaShem give us the courage necessary to Stand against The Brute, lest we all perish as cowards who betrayed our King.

Ever your servant, DK

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