NO KINGS DAY III: AFTERMATH (APRIL 1, 2026): INDIFFERENCE OR INVINCIBILITY?

PASSOVER. Pesach (Passover, פֶּסַח) for Hebrew Year 5786 begins in the Diaspora at Sundown on Wednesday, 1 April 2026 (with a full moon),and ends at Nightfall on Thursday, 9 April 2026. Passover commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. 

DEVELOPING. Oil prices have jumped up again as the War in Iran rages on and President Trump threatens Escalations. On Monday morning [Mar. 30, 2026], international benchmark Brent Crude was trading at about $114 per barrel, up significantly from last week, when prices were floating closer to $100 or $105 per barrel. Prices have been elevated since the War began because of the effective Closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping lane. About a fifth of the world’s oil was previously moving through this Strait on a given day. A third aircraft carrier to deploy to the Middle East. Ground Invasion on Good Friday? DK: Sources warn that this could trigger Worldwide Economic Collapse if not opened. – News Nation Now, Mar. 30, 2026

DEVELOPING. NASA is scheduled to launch the Artemis II Mission on April 1, 2026, at 6:24 p.m. EDT, marking the first crewed flight to the Moon in over 50 years. The four-astronaut crew will conduct a 10-day, figure-eight loop around the Moon, testing the Orion Spacecraft developed by Lockheed Martin and its life support systems before future moon landings. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will travel beyond low earth orbit for the first time since 1972 as part of the Apollo 17 Mission. DK: A NASA first Manned Mission to Mars is planned for the 2030s. – AI Overview, ret. Mar. 31, 2026

FIRST COMMANDMENT. “And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

For I, the Lord your God, am A JEALOUS GOD [‘El Qanna’ (קַנָּ֔א), ‘Zealous over you’], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS…If you love Me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS!’” – EXODUS 20:1-6; JOHN 14:15, NKJV

• “KEEP!” (Hebrew, 8104). ‘Shamar’ [וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י]: “To hedge about (as with thorns);” also, “To guard, to protect; to narrowly observe and preserve; to be careful to watch over.” NOTE: “The verb occurs about 469 times across every major section of the Hebrew Canon—Torah, Prophets, Writings—‘Expressing the ideas of guarding, keeping, watching, preserving, observing, attending, or maintaining.’ Context determines whether the subject is a Shepherd keeping sheep, a Priest watching sacred space, a King protecting his realm, an Individual obeying God, or God Himself preserving His people.”

• “KEEP!” (Greek, 5083). ‘Téreó’ [τηρήσετε]: “To watch, to guard (from loss or injury);” also, ‘”To prevent [from escaping accuracy]; to construe a fortress [of truth]; fulfill a command; to make note of prophecy.” NOTE: “Strong’s Greek 5083 appears seventy-one times, weaving together TWO MAIN SPHERES: (1) ‘Active Loyalty’—Believers ‘keep’ what God has revealed; (2) ‘Protective Custody’—God or human authorities ‘keep’ persons or things under guard. The contexts range from Intimate Discipleship in the Gospels and Epistles to Cosmic Judgment scenes in Revelation, showing a seamless: ‘[Sound] Biblical Theology of Covenant Faithfulness and Divine Preservation.’”

QUOTATION. “‘God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives.’ Felt weakness deepens Dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. ‘To live with your “Thorn” uncomplainingly — that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak — is True Sanctification. It is true Healing for the Spirit. It is a Supreme Victory of Grace [and Power].’” ― J.I. PACKER, God’s Plans for You, 2001; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘Keep my Commandments!’ – This is the only proper Evidence of LOVE TO JESUS.’ For mere profession is no proof of love; but that love for him which leads us to do all his will, to love each other, to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow him through evil report and through good report, is true attachment.’ The Evidence which we have that a child loves its parents is when that child is willing, without hesitation, gainsaying, or complaining, to do all that the parent requires him to do. So the Disciples of Christ are required to show that they are attached to Him Supremely by yielding to all His Requirements, and by patiently Doing His Will in the face of ridicule and opposition, 1 John 5:2-3.” – ALBERT BARNES, Notes on the Old and New Testament, 1834, 1884; edited

THESIS. ‘The White Evangelical Church in America has all but completely EXPUNGED the Doctrine of Obedience to God for its insistence upon a New Doctrine of Unqualified Favor and Blessing to Confessed Believers – Regardless of our Obedience or our Sustained Disobedience (i.e., “NO FAULT CHRISTIANITY”).’

·       DECLINE OF INSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY.This ‘Loosening of Evangelical Norms’ [i.e., ‘Truth!’] has seen a Decline in Pastoral Authority. Many congregants now prioritize Personal Conscience and Individual Interpretation over Institutional Dictates, leading to a culture where ‘Voting with one’s feet’ (leaving for another church!) is common if teachings become too demanding.” DK: “We make Men Without Chests and expect of them Virtue and Enterprise. We laugh at Honour and are shocked to find Traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the Geldings be fruitful!” – C.S. LEWIS, The Abolition of Man, 1943; edited

EVIDENCE. After still another rigorous search of the literature on the Decline of Teaching Obedience in the American (White) Church, I had to settle once again upon an AI OVERVIEW (ret. Mar. 30, 2026). Here are a few snippets.

“Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be WISE AS SERPENTS [and innocent as doves [‘phronimos’ (φρόνιμοι), ‘practically, discernedly cautious, based on Moral Integrity,’ having no self-serving agenda].” – JESUS, Matthew 10:16, Amplified

• OPEN. “In 2026, many American Churches are perceived to de-emphasize Obedience, shifting toward prioritizing trust in God’s Character, Relational Connection, and Grace over strict Adherence to Rules, which some fear risks turning into Legalism. This trend is fueled by a desire to avoid appearing Judgmental, cultural shifts toward Individualism, and a focus on Attracting Members.” DK: Marketing to insure “Butts in the Pews” is most likely at the heart of much of this trend.

• PRIORITIZING TRUST OVER COMPLIANCE. “Some Modern Teaching Approaches, especially in children’s ministry, now emphasize building a Relationship and trusting God’s Character before demanding Obedience [or more often, mentioning it at all]. The Argument is that Obedience should be a natural response to God’s Love rather than a forced requirement. DK: Therefore it is simply not taught, almost ever!

• AVOIDING LEGALISM. Many churches have moved away from strict Behavioral Rules [i.e., the ‘Ten Commandments!’] to avoid being perceived as ‘Legalistic.’ In an effort to emphasize Grace and Mercy, some leaders may downplay Obedience to differentiate themselves from the perceived rigidness of prior generations. DK: ‘Were “Prior Generations” more Obedient to God than today’s? Selah.’

• CONSUMER-ORIENTED DISCIPLESHIP. There is a trend toward ‘Lowering the Bar’ to accommodate busy Modern Lifestyles. Many Church leaders often ‘AVOID’ teaching difficult Commands or committing to Rigorous Discipleship to prevent ‘Alienating members’ [as with the ‘Fear of Man’] who prefer more flexible or ‘feelings-level’ engagement. DK: Yet JESUS TEACHES’: “Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill…But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ [a FIRM YES OR NO]; anything more than that comes from the evil one.’” – MATTHEW 5;17, 37, AMP

• FOCUS ON TRANSFORMATION OVER OPTIMIZATION. Significantly, some 2026 trends suggest a Counter-Movement calling for a Return to ‘Swift Obedience’ over modern systems and ‘Hacks’ [‘person who produces low-quality, routine, or “hackneyed” work, often used to describe writers, journalists, or other professionals’], suggesting that the Absence of these Teachings is being actively challenged by a few leaders.” DK: ‘A growing number, yes, but virtually none from the White Evangelical Leaders who have apparently “Circled the Wagons” and hardened their position, without Reform or Repentance.’

FEAR. For me at least, these dismal trends in the Evangelical White Church has left us with a legion of “Men Without Chests,” as Mr. Lewis rightly described them. Thus, their Godly Authority has been Surrendered for Popularity and Appeasement.

They Fear not God, but Man!

Thus, we have PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP as our earthly king, due overwhelmingly to catastrophic ‘Collapse of Biblical Character in American Church Leadership.’ From which our Institutions shall never recover. Selah.

AMERICAN DEFIANCE. Though you will surely not find hardly any White Evangelicals attending the NO KINGS III RALLY, it was a ‘remarkably historic success,’ if you judge by the Numbers and the Diversity of attendees.

“More than 8 million people turned out at over 3,300 ‘No Kings’ Protests across all 50 states on Saturday, organizers said, calling it the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history. The first two rounds, in June and October 2025, drew an estimated 5 million and 7 million, respectively.

As of Sunday morning [March 29], President Trump did not comment on The Protests. The White House dismissed the events Thursday, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson calling them ‘Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions’” – JACK BREWSTER, “No Kings Protest Recap,” Yahoo, Mar. 30, 2026; edited

I close with a review of TWO PERSPECTIVES on what America can possibly do now in the Great Aftermath of the No Kings Day III Protest. The First is from a Left of Center View published in the British daily news publication, The Guardian; the Second, a more Centrist View reported by the well-regarded American magazine, The Atlantic.

ONE: SOCIAL ACTION. Former reporter for another Left-leaning news platform, Vox, currently writing for The Guardian is FABIOLA CINEAS in a piece titled, “So You Went to a No Kings Protest. Now What?” (Mar. 29, 2026; edited).

• OPEN. “Movement scholars say Social Change doesn’t begin and end with one protest. ‘It takes Activism at the local and national level, and in a variety of forms, to bring about [Social] Change.’”

• PROTEST. “Some of the Earliest Protests in America include Covert and Overt acts that enslaved people took to object to bondage, including working slowly in the fields, breaking or misplacing tools, setting fires or running away. Enslaved people also attempted to free themselves by organizing armed rebellions and revolts. Occupation has historically been another effective form of protest. Throughout the 1900s, Indigenous Americans protested US treaty Violations by occupying Alcatraz Island, Mount Rushmore and the bureau of Indian affairs building to demand land back.”

• RALLY. “During Rallies, people often gather at parks, on streets and other public locations to bring attention to a cause. A ‘Street Protest or March’ can also culminate in a Rally, where participants take turns speaking, performing music or leafleting attendees to share goals and literature about the cause. Much like ‘Rally,’ ‘March’ and ‘Parade,’ are also terms used interchangeably with ‘PROTEST!’ [“To make a Solemn Declaration of a fact or opinion.” – N. Webster, 1828]. In 1913, Suffragists held the Women’s Suffrage Parade to draw attention to how women could vote.”

• STRIKE. “Labor Unions have a rich history of Protest in the US, particularly in the form of a ‘Strike or a Work Stoppage’ in which workers demand better conditions, including healthcare benefits, on-the-job safety protections and higher wages. A ‘General Strike’ is much larger. It’s when a sizable portion of the Workforce in a certain Town or Region ‘stops working’ to bring about economic or social change.”

• BOYCOTT-DIVESTMENT. Boycotts of Corporations have historically involved a refusal to purchase their products or engage with their services, with the hope that Punitive Pressure can change attitudes and behaviors. Alternatively, a ‘Procott’ involves shifting resources to entities that people want to support – such as small local businesses – as they suspend support for others … ‘Divestments’ are a related form of Protest. In 1985, UC Berkeley students demanded the University divest from South Africa in protest against Apartheid. Students led Rallies, Teach-ins and Encampments to pressure the University. A year later, the University of California Board of Regents voted to Divest $3bn from companies with ties to South Africa.”

• MUTUAL AID. “Under an ‘Ethos of Solidarity,’ Mutual Aid involves a Network of Volunteers gathering resources – food, housing assistance and childcare – to support the needs of people in their communities … During the Coronavirus Pandemic, local organizations across the country stepped up to help low-income families, frontline workers and immunocompromised people through grocery delivery programs. One such aid program in Brooklyn, New York, supported 28,000 people with groceries between March 2020 and June 2021.”

• WALKOUT. “When Students and Employees walk out of schools or workplaces to express their disapproval over a certain issue. The Idea is to do so in large numbers – the more people who participate, the more impactful the message. In 1968, 15,000 students walked out en masse as part of the East Los Angeles Walkouts to protest disparities in educational outcomes between White American and Mexican American students … Even though Police arrested organizers and the Board of Education rejected their demands, the Walkout was one of the largest student protests in history.”

• TEACH-IN. “This longtime form of Protest is about ‘Sharing Knowledge.’ Activists and Protest Leaders spend time lecturing people in the Movement about their causes, often opening debate and discussion as a means of raising awareness and spurring further action.  Teach-ins were popularized during the Vietnam War when students used them to discuss the War Draft and strategies to curtail the US Government’s involvement abroad.”

THE DREAM. Again, with sincere assurances that I am not attempting to appear as some sort of super-spiritual individual it is possibly noteworthy that I remained sleepless last night (Mon. Mar.30-Tue. Mar. 31) and had a brief but Memorable Dream that could bear upon the Close of our discussion today. Here it is in Summary Form, best I can recall it.

I was in an academic-social setting of some kind, reminiscent of a Reunion of some kind. As I was strolling around among a small gathering of people, I noticed that One Man was, well, trailing me as I walked. At one point I turned to address him and said, “Don’t I know you?” He responded in a civil but genial manner, “Yes, we went to High School together.” My recall triggered by his statement, I blurted out: “Oh yeah, I remember now. Your name is ‘LAWLESS,’ right? And he said, “YES, that’s it.”

Which indeed leads us to our Final Consideration.

TWO: MORAL RENEWAL. Staff writer for The Atlantic magazine and award-winning journalist and author GEORGE PACKER comes at this issue in a thoughtful essay titled, “What Should Americans Do Now?” (Jan. 27, 2026). You will note the date of Packer’s byline that it was written in the  midst of the horrific event in Minnesota as ICE Agents brutally assaulted the Twin Cities during which two citizens were gunned down by ICE police.

• OPEN. “The killings in Minneapolis of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have been compared to the murder of George Floyd, because they all happened within a few miles of one another, and because of the outrage they inspired. There’s an important difference, though: In 2020 the United States was in turmoil, but it was still a State of Law. Floyd’s death was followed by investigation, Trial, and Verdict—by Justice. The Minneapolis Police Department was held accountable and ultimately made to Reform.”

• ANTINOMIANISM. [‘Absence of Moral Law’]. No one should expect Justice for Good and Pretti! Today, nothing stands in the way of the brutal tactics of ICE and the Border Patrol. While President Trump seems to be trying to defuse the mayhem he’s caused by reassigning a top commander [fired Kristi Noem, hired martial arts fighter and Senator Markwayne Mullin], he is not withdrawing [all] Federal Agents from the State or allowing local authorities to investigate, let alone prosecute, them for their actions.”

• TYRANNY. “Authoritarianism doesn’t disappear with the news cycle. The Administration’s automatic lies about the Killings and Slander of the victims are less a cover-up of facts than a display of utter contempt for them. Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel, and other top officials seem to invite incredulity as a way to flex their power: ‘We say black is white. Agree or you’re a criminal!’ When Stephen Miller recently claimed that Geopolitics is ruled by the ‘Iron Laws of Strength and Force,’ hewas expressing the Administration’s approach to Domestic Governance as well. ‘Those words are Iron Laws on American streets.’”

• HARBINGER. “‘The Prelude to the violence of January 7 and 24 came not in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, but in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021.’ Trump and his supporters were prevented from stealing an Election and overthrowing the Constitution by democratic institutions—Congress, the Courts, the Police, the Media, and Public Opinion. ‘But The Insurrection never ended.’ By the time Trump returned to power and pardoned the Insurrectionists, almost half of the country believed that: “January 6 was a Patriotic Demonstration,” a False-Flag operation, or just no big deal … Institutions that once restrained the presidency weakened or ‘FELL AWAY’ [sic] one by one, until earlier this month Trump told The New York Times that the only limit to his power is his own mind.’ That same day, January 7, Authoritarianism had its predictable consequence in freezing Minneapolis with the execution of Renee Good.”

• LAWLESSNESS. “‘A Lawless Regime is an Illegitimate one.’ If the country seems to have reached a Breaking Point in Minneapolis, this is why. And yet Minneapolis also offers a Compelling Answer to the Question that democracy-loving Americans have asked for the past year: ‘WHAT CAN I DO?’”

• MINNEAPOLIS. “Minneapolis is setting an example for the rest of the country: A nameless, leaderless, Self-Organized Movement. Self-Organization is a term I heard from almost everyone I met in Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion. It’s an inherently hard form of Activism, requiring high levels of motivation and trust. These obviously exist in the neighborhoods of South Minneapolis, where Civic Spirit and Personal Connections run deep. But Replicating them on a wider scale—essentially, creating a ‘Mass Movement for Basic Decency’—raises obvious problems. That Movement’s energy might depend on the arrival of conspicuous Federal Oppression in other Blue Cities and States (which Trump has promised). It would have to remain Decentralized and maintain its Local Integrity while creating a capacity for Nationwide Coordination. It could fall apart for lack of discipline, coherence, trust, and leadership—or, conversely, because of leadership that devolves into factionalism. The Civil-Rights Movement confronted all of these problems, and overcame them.”

• NO KINGS. “‘No Kings or another group could consider organizing and training people in other parts of the country to join the kind of CIVIC ACTION on display in Minneapolis—to move from PROTEST to NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE.’ Beyond neighbor-to-neighbor support in a Moment of Crisis lies a wide range of means to withhold cooperation from an Illegitimate Government. The late theorist DR. GENE SHARP [son of a Protestant minister] laid them out, along with ideas for strategic planning, in books such as From Dictatorship to Democracy and Waging Nonviolent Struggle (2012). Sharp’s work has been used as a Guide for Democracy Activists under Dictatorial Regimes in countries such as Serbia, Burma, and Iran.”

• RESISTANCE. “Sharp analyzed various ‘METHODS OF NON-COOPERATION’—Political, Economic, and Social—that stop short of more aggressive Disruptions. They include Boycotts and Strikes (such as the widely observed General Strike in Minneapolis); Refusal to Participate in Administration-supported organizations and events; ‘Quasi-Legal Evasions and Delays’ and ‘Reluctant and Slow Compliance’ with Government Edicts; and finally, ‘Nonviolent Civil Disobedience.’ Anti-ICE actions that try to thwart the brutal and indiscriminate enforcement of Immigration Laws become a form of Civil Disobedience.”

• DANGERS. “‘Nonviolent Struggle carries Serious Risks.’ It can lead to Social Ostracism, Legal Harassment, State Intimidation, Prison, Injury, and, as we’ve seen in Minneapolis, ‘Death’ … ‘A Movement of Resistance against an Illegitimate Regime has a chance of succeeding only if it remains strictly Nonviolent and avoids the familiar trap of Sectarianism. It has to be Democratic, Patriotic, and animated by a sense of BASIC DECENCY that can attract ordinary people.’”

CHRISTIAN DUTY. These are only OPTIONS under both God’s Law and the United States Constitution for you to deeply, prayerfully consider, beloved. Our responses shall prove unique for each of us, and we must respect that, and each other.

However, beloved: Indifference and Doing Nothing is NOT an option!

So do I dare to take a page from POPE LEO XIV whose recent challenges to President Trump frankly stir this old man’s Christian blood. Where the Protestant White Church has utterly failed to confront this diabolical Regime, the Pope has been courageous to our FIRST CHARGE from Jesus Christ in the  midst of such Deep Darkness.

“These are the things which you should do: SPEAK THE TRUTH with one another; judge with truth and pronounce the judgment that brings peace in [the courts at] your gates … Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], SPEAK TRUTH each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ].” – ZECHARIAH 8:16; EPHESIANS 4:25, AMP

These are God’s Timeless Words to us, beloved, that we might ‘SHINE HIS LIGHT’ to all this Cloud of Treachery against all that is Good and all that is True. Do just this, and what may follow upon it, and it shall be well with each of us.

Unto Life and Honor Eternal. Selah.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/fRtzW4U6l7M