Tyranny

From George Orwell’s “1984”

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Power & Tyranny—George Orwell (1903 – 1950)

Following World War II, persons on both sides of the Atlantic were doing a good bit of soul-searching. The “war to end all wars” (World War I) had been nothing of the sort, and in many ways set a trajectory for World War II. British intellectual George Orwell wrote poignantly about the nature of power, particularly the danger of centralized power.

In the following quotation, taken from Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, penned in 1949, the hero, Winston Smith, is being interrogated and tortured by the epitome of government power and tyranny, O’Brien. Throughout the book Winston has been able to avoid punishment, even though he has “come alive” and has realized that something is radically amiss with his culture and with the all-knowing and all-powerful “Big Brother.” He has sought to live a somewhat independent life, ignoring at least some of the dictates of the tyranny under which he lives. But he eventually is caught, and O’Brien, in the midst of torturing him, explains to Winston something of the nature of political tyranny and power. Though not a Christian, Orwell’s insights are bracing.

The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness; only power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from all the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just round the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?1

Footnotes:
1 George Orwell, 1984 (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1949; New York: New American Library, 1984), 217. Citations are to the New American Library edition.

Much, For Which To Be Thankful

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We hear everyday how bad this nation is economically.  How many people are without jobs.  The numbers of people who are without health care.  The crimes in the nation.  These are bad, and some of it is down right evil.

Let us give some thought today for that in this country for which we ought to be grateful.

First of all let’s be grateful to our Creator who has allowed such a great nation even come to be.  He has not only allowed it to be but put it in the hearts of  the men and women who were inspired by His Spirit to be free from a tyrannical government.  Men and women who risked there lives at sea, and in coming to a new land.

Let’s thank God our Savior for inspiring Liberty, freedom, and caring for others without government aid.  Let’s be thankful for the men who have fought the enemy for these past 232 years to keep us free and at times helped give other nations freedom as well.  Freedom is the gift of our Creator, inspired through hearts of men who give their lives as our Savior has said,

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13 (KJV)

And we have had many a soldier lay down their lives to protect and to keep us from the harm of the enemy.  In the beginnings of this country soldiers were farmers, doctors, lawyers, blacksmiths, etc. who laid down their lives for their neighbors, families and friends.  Many soldiers today come from such families.  Thank you men and women of the United States of America who have risked life, limb, and economic status, for the freedom of the USA.

You may be one today who has found yourself without an income; had your home foreclosed on; and lost everything you had.  Be grateful that you still live in the land of the free, the home of the brave; and take a bold step forward, and thank the Lord above for the gift of freedom.  There is so much for which we can be grateful.

Family, friends, associates in the workplace, the air we breathe, the ground upon which we walk.  There is no place on earth like the United States of America.  Where else is there where people want to get, rather than get out of it.?  Thank God for the struggle of immigration.  Most of our families were immigrants who came here from Europe or some other place.

Health care is available to all.  It is not free, nor should it be.  Let’s be thankful for the doctors and nurses, and all medical personnel who work long days and nights just to provide health care to people who are in need.  Thank you.

You can finish it from here.  I pray that I have inspired you today to see some things for which to be thankful in this God blessed nation; even with all that is wrong within it.  There are still some things that are right.

May God continue to bless America.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Prophecy of Enoch

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Enoch, and the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ

I guess I am not into fancy titles or something. Just make it simple, and that is what I intend for this study.

When I read Scriptures from Genesis through the Revelation of Jesus Christ I read it like it is written for us to understand. When the Bible speaks figuratively it usually lets us know that it is speaking figuratively. When it is speaking plainly we take it plainly. When it speaks figuratively or metaphorically, then, that is how I will interpret it, and translate it. For the most part, and as best I can, I let Scripture interpret Scripture, and follow what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” Let me warn you, that I am not a Bible scholar, nor am I the son of a Bible scholar. I also am not a prophecy scholar, nor the son of one; however, I do love the Bible, believe it to be the infallible, inerrant, eternal Word of God. I do pray that God can take my weakness and glorify His holy name.  The writings of the prophets enthuse me, encourage me, fill me, give me hope, and I just cannot get enough, or get away from what they have written down in the Word of God.

From what I have seen in many studies of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ is they begin with the Revelation chapter twenty. Maybe because that is where a “thousand year reign” (Revelation 20:2-4) with Christ is named. It may not be named, per se’, in the many other references, but it is certainly implied, inferred, and strongly suggested. The words, “a thousand years” or “the thousand years” are named six times in Revelation 20:2-7. I for one believe that to be no accident of John, nor of God, but is one evidence that the earthly kingdom of Christ’s reign will be literal, it has not yet happened, nor is it presently happening.

The first verses I want us to look at is in the book of Genesis.

“And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:21-24 (KJV).

Now upon the first read of this you may wonder, “What does this genealogy of Enoch have to do with the millennial reign of Jesus Christ?”, and if I didn’t know where this was going I probably wouldn’t know either. These verses will have to be taken with a New Testament passage from the epistle [letter] of Jude, our Lord’s half brother. That passage reads:

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 1:14-15 (KJV).

We see from the New Testament letter that Jude was a prophet of God, and he warned the people of His day of the coming judgment of the Lord. This judgment he warned of was quite clearly the second coming of Jesus with His saints. It has never happened in the entire history of man. It is yet to come. This second coming will be to put away human government, to put away sin, and to set up His kingdom on earth.

Those “saints” mentioned will be those who were raptured off the earth according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and their spirits “with Him” will be joined to their bodies coming up out of their graves (at the rapture), and those who were living and knew Jesus Christ, will rise with them to meet the Lord in the air. The second coming will be seven years later. We will be returning with Christ at His Revelation, and that is when He takes the rule of the earth away from all human governments.

There will be no more Democracy, Tyranny, Dictatorships, Republics, or anarchy. Nor, will there be any human theocracies save that of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will reign from His throne in the capital city of Israel, which is, and forever shall be Jerusalem.

The message of Enoch was one calling for repentance. Understand the judgment which Enoch warned of was not the final judgment, but the judgment of ungodly kings, kingdoms, and the “Inhabiters of earth”, ie. those whose hearts love the things, the temporal things, with its greed, lusts, power, etc.; and hate all that is holy and godly, and all that is God. The Lord Himself will destroy them with the sword of His mouth, ie., the Word of God spoken in His glory. Then, when all human government is put away, Jesus will rule with power and glory from the truly Holy City of Jerusalem.

How can I get the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ from these verses. Jesus coming with ten thousands of His saints; the executing of judgment upon all, convincing all the ungodly of their ungodly deeds, that they have ungodly committed, and the hard speeches of the ungodly spoken against Him. This is taking place on the earth. Enoch’s message is of the Lord Coming again; He is coming back to earth. Jesus Himself tells us, “I will come again”. He was standing before His disciples, and others as He spoke this, in person; surely He meant that His “coming again” would be in our presence and in person, and not figurative or metaphorical. The last judgment is the “Great white throne” judgment (Revelation 20:11-14); takes place before the throne of God; and only the unrighteous will be judged here at this judgment throne. (I may get to do another study on that topic).

If He is coming back to earth, and removing all that hates the godly, He is surely coming to set up His kingdom on earth. If not what would be the purpose of His return? He is returning, with His saints (See 1 Thessalonians 4:14-15 again) to set up an earthly kingdom; will reign the world from Jerusalem, and Israel shall fulfill the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come soon.

-by Tim A. Blankenship