Has half the nation gone irredeemably insane?
The American Revolution created a brand new nation, separated from England, in 1776 when our founders declared our national independence from the British Empire and its king. Prior to that time, we were not a separate nation but a colony of their empire. The 13 Colonies were ruled by England, which still had slaves at that time, until 1833 and were responsible for American slavery which began at Jamestown in 1619. But from the time of our Independence from England, in 1776, our new nation automatically became responsible for slavery continuing here. The sin of British slavery became the sin of the these United States of America 244 years ago on July 4, 1776. Some of our Founders owned slaves, but somehow did not see the contradiction of it, let it stand, not thinking blacks were fully human, but wrote that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration.
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This from The Guardian:
The Declaration of Independence, which embraced in its first lines “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights”, did not extend that right to slaves, Africans or African Americans, with the final version scrapping a reference to the denunciation of slavery. Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner himself, penned those lines rejecting slavery.
Slavery flourished initially in the tobacco fields of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. In the tobacco-producing areas of those states, slaves constituted more than 50% of the population by 1776. Slavery then spread to the rice plantations further south. In South Carolina, African Americans remained a majority into the 20th century, according to census data.
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The sin of slavery not only contradicts the U.S. Declaration and the Constitution itself, but the essence of the word of God
Acts 1:24 affirms that God is concerned with the hearts of all men. And His Son, Jesus said "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Jn.12:32. God does not exclude anyone by skin color, white, tan, brown or black.
But God does exclude all who "hate" (reject) Him ....
"... I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Ex.20:5-6.
"Visiting" in this verse alludes to the effects the parents' sin has on their children, though the sin itself is not charged to any but the guilty, whether the fathers or the children, "who hate (reject) God". But God shows mercy to all those who love Him and obey Him. So the effects of the sin, of those who reject God, are not visited upon their children who love God, but upon those who do not.
The bottom line is that each of us will give an account of himself to God. "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Rom.14:12.
Back to the third and fourth generations being affected.
There is a good deal of disagreement about the length of a generation. However, in the very first verse of the first chapter of the first book in the New Testament, is found the first N.T. reference to a generation. There, in Matthew 1:1-17, is listed the generations of the Jews from Abraham to Christ, in three segments, or periods of time, each 490 years long with 14 generations each. From Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian captivity, the captivity to Christ Messiah. So it is simple math to divide 14 generations into 490 years which goes 35 times. A generation, then, is 35 years using that reference.
So four generations would equal 35 X 4 which is 140 years. Or maybe it means the parents' sins will impact, not just their children, but grandchildren and great grandchildren as well. But, then, each of those generations will, like their parents and grandparents, pass on the effects of their own sins to the their own children for the next 3 or 4 generations. We are all, as parents, held to the same standard.
This puts sin in a far different light, and reveals more clearly the continuing damage of our sins upon others than ourselves ... and more particularly our descendants. But don't judge your parents or their parents or their parents before them too quickly. We are, ourselves, in the same and equal line of accountability for our own sins as were they. Don't miss the fact that you too have descendants who will be affected by your sins of hatred, greed, lusting, looting, burning and killing. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" Gal.6:7.
I intended this blog post to address the carnage now being visited upon our nation because of our forefathers' sin of slavery which still existed about four generations ago. But that visitation does not end with their sin. It will surely be visited upon those far more wicked souls who are now, themselves, sowing the poison seed of sin in all of our major cities and towns across America.
What these hate filled rioters are doing today will hurt, not just them, but their descendants for generations to come. The Great Tribulation Period may be a final visitation upon their own children, grandchildren or great grandchildren.
It is safe to say that not a single true Christian, or even Trump supporter, is participating in these riots. That should tell you something about where the problem lies. RB
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