This Week's 66/40 Radio Broadcast

Articles and Commentary

• An Independence Day Exhortation - (Read)
• The Star Spangled Banner - (Read)
• Europe at a Crossroads - (Read)

Important News Headlines

Memory Verse of the Week

AN INDEPENDENCE DAY EXHORTATION - (Print)

Independence Day is only a few days away. The typical American might celebrate the Fourth of July by watching a parade, lighting fireworks, or simply grilling burgers in the backyard with family and friends. However we would like to challenge our readers to take a moment this Friday to consider, not only our nation's rich history, but also its prophetic future. What is our ultimate destiny? What does the Bible have to say about America?

The United States appears to be conspicuously absent from Biblical prophecy. Biblical scholars tend to disagree on this subject, and we could make a multitude of conjectures concerning America's fate, but the fact of the matter is that the Bible does not specifically explain God's plan for the US.

However we can learn many things about America's possible destiny by looking at the parallels between the US and the Northern Kingdom of Israel as described in the book of Hosea. The Northern Kingdom enjoyed material prosperity unequaled since days of Solomon, but they had sunk to the depths of immorality and idol worship. As a result of their sin God judged Israel and they were destroyed by their enemies.

The United States also enjoys unprecedented wealth and prosperity, but as a nation we have turned our back on God. So why hasn't God judged America? Is it too late? Or is there still time?

We are God's stewards. The future of America is in our hands. God made a promise to the people of Israel that may apply to us as well:

"If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14

This is not addressed to our President, our Congress, or our population in general: It is addressed to "My people, who are called by my name." It is addressed to the Body of Christ. Our stewardship of this nation does not begin and end at the ballot box. There is much more required of us. We need a national revival - and it must start with you and me.

The moral decline of society is indeed disconcerting, yet it is important to remember that God is in control. Our Lord has power over all that is in heaven and earth and He alone has the power to transform our nation.

"Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name."
1 Chronicles 29:11-13

To learn more about what the prophet Hosea had to say and how it applies to us today, we encourage you to listen to Chuck's study titled Hosea, Can You See?

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THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER - (Print)

During the night of September 13, 1814, the British fleet bombarded Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor. Francis Scott Key, a 34-year old lawyer, watched the attack from the deck of a British prisoner-exchange ship. For nearly 25 hours the British fleet fired their cannons at the American defenses. The morning following the battle Key turned his telescope to the fort and saw that the American flag was still waving. The flag above Fort McHenry was massive in size, each individual stripe measured two feet in width. The impressive sight inspired Key to write the poem that later became our national anthem.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight'
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen, thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream;
'Tis the star-spangled banner: oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand,
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that has made and preserved us as a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust";
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Written by Francis Scott Key on September 14th, 1814. Sung to the tune of Anacreon in Heaven.

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EUROPE AT A CROSSROADS - (Print)

Several weeks have passed since Irish voters dealt a knockout blow to the new EU reform treaty, and it seems Europe's leaders are still in shock. Ireland is the only EU member whose constitution required a referendum on the treaty. The Irish voters chose to reject the treaty, a move which stunned and embarrassed Europe's leaders. As a result, the European Union is scrambling to find a way to revive the Treaty of Lisbon.

In December of last year Europe's leaders signed the Treaty of Lisbon, also commonly called the EU reform treaty. The Treaty of Lisbon is essentially a repackaging of the failed EU constitutional treaty – which was overwhelmingly defeated by French and Dutch voters in 2005. Critics say the bulk of the document remains unchanged, it is 90 percent the same as the former constitutional treaty. What is gone is the term "constitution". Because it is not technically a constitution, government leaders can ratify the treaty without submitting it to national referendums. The idea was that by taking away the people's chance to vote on the treaty, it had a better chance of survival.

For many Europeans the EU constitution represents a loss of sovereignty and national identity. Which is one of the primary reasons why voters rejected the constitution in the first place. The Treaty of Lisbon was scheduled to enter into force on January 1, 2009, but it cannot be implemented unless approved by all 27 EU states. So far national parliaments in 19 countries have voted to ratify the treaty. However the Irish "no" vote has made Europe's future somewhat uncertain.

What Happens Next?

Despite this setback, the Treaty of Lisbon may still one day become the law of the land. Many of Europe's leaders are already plotting ways to get around the Irish vote. Rather than respect the will of the people, Europe's leaders seem determined to get their way. Some have even suggested making Ireland vote again, and perhaps the second time around they will come back with the "right" answer. If that doesn't work, Ireland may be forced to leave the EU, or perhaps the bureaucrats in Brussels will simply find even more subtle and creative ways to implement changes and consolidate power.

It is interesting to note that a survey of 2,000 Irish "no" voters found the main reason they rejected the Treaty was that they did not understand it. Which is ironic, because the treaty was not meant to be understood. In a sense, Europe's leaders shot themselves in the foot. The Treaty of Lisbon is long and complex. It is written in highly technical legal jargon that has proved difficult even for experts to understand, much less the general public. According to Giuliano Amato, former Italian Prime Minister and Vice-Chairman of the Convention which drew up the EU Constitution, the treaty is confusing by design: "They decided that the document should be unreadable. If it is unreadable, it is not constitutional, that was the sort of perception. Where they got this perception from is a mystery to me." It is also important to note that, because of the failure of the Treaty of Lisbon, accession talks with Croatia and Turkey will most likely be put on hold.

To learn more about the rise of the European Superstate, click on the links below.

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Russian Flights Smack of Cold War - July 01, 2008
Russian bombers have stepped up provocative flight exercises off the Alaskan coast, reminiscent of Cold War incursions designed to rattle US air defenses. In the past year Russian bombers have skirted US air space 18 times. Washington Times

Hamas Gears up for West Bank Takeover - July 01, 2008
Hamas plans to use the current ceasefire with Israel to take over the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, according to a report by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. World Tribune

Conservation Takes Back Seat to Drilling - July 01, 2008
High gasoline prices have dramatically changed Americans' views on energy and the environment, with more people now viewing oil drilling and new power plants as a greater priority than energy conservation, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. MSNBC

US Ships Food Aid to North Korea - July 01, 2008
A US ship bearing 37,000 tons of wheat has arrived in North Korea, officials said yesterday, the first installment in what is scheduled to be a major expansion of international food aid in the closed totalitarian country. On Thursday, Kim Jong Il's government handed over a long-delayed declaration that disclosed some details about its plutonium production. On Friday, it blew up a cooling tower at a disabled nuclear plant. The declaration prompted President Bush to ease some trade sanctions and begin a process to take North Korea off a list of countries that are officially designated as sponsors of terrorism. Washington Post

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

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