I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (Numbers 24:17)
As 2020 winds down to a close, we can look back and say, “It was a terrible year!” For me, it started with a drastic change in life called retirement. And before I could really adjust to my new lifestyle, COVID-19 hit and changed life for all of us. Do I need to recount the chaotic events? In November, we voted in the 2020 Presidential Election, and the candidate who campaigned the least and attracted the smallest following miraculously won the election – supposedly. Now we face the real possibility of having a Socialist government for the first time in our nation’s history. President Trump alleges that the election was stolen, and much evidence exists indicating that he has reason to protest and contest the results. He has a great team of lawyers that are fighting to get the election overturned (I pray that they do), but time is running out. However, there is still hope.
I have said this before, and I am still convinced that whether Biden becomes our next President or President Trump wins his second term, we face troubled times ahead. But there is hope. At least, for the Christian there is hope. We only need to remember that our primary citizenship is in heaven with our Lord, and the intensity of the trouble we experience today should alert us that He will soon return to take us home to be with Him. The intensity of the trouble will increase, and the more it increases, the closer we are to His calling us home. There is always hope.
Long ago, as the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness hoping for their Promised Land, their enemies rose up to thwart their plans. One such enemy was Balak, the king of Moab, who hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel.[1] Balaam was not a “prophet of God,” but he knew God well enough to know that God would not allow him to speak against His people. No matter how Balaam tried, he could only speak the words God directed him to speak. In the end, Balaam pronounced a blessing on Israel, rather than a curse.
In that blessing, Balaam prophesied, “there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17, emphasis mine). On the face of it, the prophecy refers to a coming king of Israel that “shall smite the corners of Moab.” If we stop there, the prophecy leaves us in a lurch, but the Holy Spirit keeps no secrets from those who have “ears to hear.”
In his Gospel, Matthew tells us that “there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2, emphasis mine). Yes, the baby born in Bethlehem was the Star, but a real star – a celestial object – appeared out of Jacob (Israel) to announce His birth. It is because of that Star that we have our Blessed Hope.
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (Isaiah 46:9-10)
On Tuesday, November 3 the final votes will be cast to see if Donald Trump retains the presidency or if Joe Biden will take command. Aside from the presidential race, there are many challenging races for places in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. They say, as they have in every political race in the past, that this is the most significant race in history. The pundits may be right.
I voted early and in person last week. As you might guess from last week’s article,[1] I voted for all Republicans except for three Democrats that ran uncontested. I later learned that I could have left those positions unmarked. In Texas, where I voted, they removed the option to vote a straight party ticket, so I had to mark each candidate for each office individually. It was not bad. The process took less than 15 minutes.
So, what’s next? I am no prophet or the son of a prophet to know what the immediate future might bring. Several scenarios come to mind, and none, by worldly standards, look too promising. The presidential race is running neck-and-neck. If the crowds gathering for the Trump rallies give any indication, President Trump may win a decisive victory. If he wins (and I pray he does) chaos in our streets will get worse. The Democrats condone ANTIFA and BLM by the very fact that they refuse to denounce their lawlessness. Some conspiracy theorists suggest that the funding for these lawless groups comes from Democrat sources. Such allegations are difficult to prove, but judging from Democrat attitudes toward our President, I suspect those allegations are true. From the day of his inauguration, the Democrats have unrelentingly attacked President Trump to find some way to forcefully remove him from office. The viciousness of their assaults suggests that they will only double down if he wins a second term. In fact, they already talk about impeachment proceedings against Trump’s latest judicial pick, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, if she will not recuse herself from current cases coming before the court. One of those cases might be the legitimacy of the election should Trump win, and the election is contested. The fury, hate, and anger of the Democrats will explode, and they will turn loose their hounds of hell to terrorize the nation. It will not be pretty!
If Joe Biden wins, some believe the Democrats will find some way of replacing him – the 25th Amendment[2] comes to mind – and Kamala Harris will become President. Even if Biden remains, we can kiss the America we once knew goodbye. All one needs to do is read the Democrat Party Platform to see the heavy Socialist leanings of the Democrat Party. The only reason they do not call themselves Socialists is because they know the term offends most Americans, but regardless of how they identify themselves, the ideology is clear. The Democrat Party is all about government control. This COVID “plandemic,” as some have called it, is nothing but an experiment in population control – forced masking, social distancing, closing down churches, closing schools, restricting businesses, etc. Then there is the Green New Deal, which will impose greater controls – curtail oil production in lieu of “renewable energy” like wind and solar. The Green New Deal will enforce restrictive building codes to make all structures energy-efficient without regard to the high cost of such an undertaking. The Socialists, I mean Democrats, will open our borders to allow anyone and everyone into our country with the promise of providing social welfare, free healthcare (because it’s a “right”) to everyone. By various means, they plan to redistribute wealth making everyone equally poor. The “pigs” on the other hand will live in luxury while the rest of us animals freeze and starve to death out in the barn.[3]
Neither option seems too promising. However, at least with a Trump presidency, we can trust that he really does have America’s best interest at heart. He is a nationalist. He believes in putting America first. The Democrats only care about putting their party first.
So, what’s next? I have no clue! I do know this. Jesus is coming soon! The signs He gave[4] announcing His return intensify every day. Some scoff and say, such things – wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, etc. – have been happing throughout history. Yes, but not all at once! All the signs are converging. Jesus said, “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). The “sorrows” He describes are birth pangs. Like a woman in labor, the pains come infrequently and erratically, but they become more frequent and more regular the nearer the time of the birth. What we see now is just the “beginning of sorrows.” Jesus gave these signs about His Second Coming. These signs will intensify during the seven-year Tribulation before He returns to reign on earth. However, before He returns to reign on earth for 1000 years,[5] He will snatch up His bride, the body of believers that have “gone to sleep” and those who are alive[6] at the Rapture of the Church. Because I see the signs for His Second Coming converging and intensifying, I know the Rapture can happen at any time, maybe before the election or maybe right after the election. Regardless, the only hope for this broken world is Jesus.
At a personal level, the only hope for a hopeless, broken, messed up life, even in this world, is Jesus. Time is getting short. If you do not know Jesus, please get acquainted. I can help; just read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.” It makes no difference who is sitting in the White House; what matters is who reigns in your “heart-house.”
[2] Section 4 of the 25th Amendment in part reads, “Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President Pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
Ernie's Musings 