1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,380 Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a 2 00:00:10,380 --> 00:00:15,359 moment of truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. 3 00:00:15,740 --> 00:00:21,679 Today, let me ask you, should any American who is prepared to run for president automatically, 4 00:00:21,679 --> 00:00:29,879 by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so, as Gore Vidal so perceptively put it decades ago? 5 00:00:29,879 --> 00:00:38,000 It's very clever what Vidal said, because what he said captures the paradox of the altruistic 6 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:44,579 impulse of a person to perhaps do good for his fellow Americans as a president, and the reality 7 00:00:44,579 --> 00:00:51,240 of the venal, megalomaniacal realities of what it takes to actually be president in today's world. 8 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:57,060 If you cannot be a two-faced, power-hungry liar who knows how to deceive the American public 9 00:00:57,060 --> 00:01:01,240 into thinking you can give them all that they want, you'll never get the votes to become president. 10 00:01:01,439 --> 00:01:08,200 But on the other hand, if you are such a populist, lying, megalomaniac who grasps after such 11 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,900 tyrannical power, well, you do not deserve to be president in a constitutional republic. 12 00:01:13,359 --> 00:01:20,540 You should, on principle, be barred from even running for president. Behold the inherent paradox 13 00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:25,280 in running for public office, period. Any high office in America today, for that matter. 14 00:01:26,340 --> 00:01:30,959 A strange thing seems to happen to the men we send to Washington, D.C., doesn't it? 15 00:01:31,219 --> 00:01:34,239 On the one hand, they proclaim in a righteous and heroic tone, 16 00:01:34,620 --> 00:01:36,719 Washington is broken and I'm going to fix it. 17 00:01:37,299 --> 00:01:40,239 I will fundamentally transform America, I'll remember that. 18 00:01:40,739 --> 00:01:43,780 Or like John McCain said, it's time to take money out of politics. 19 00:01:43,780 --> 00:01:45,560 Or hope and change. 20 00:01:46,060 --> 00:01:50,159 Or I'll shrink the federal government and return us to a constitutional republic. 21 00:01:50,299 --> 00:01:55,900 So many of our patriotic liberty candidates say such things. 22 00:01:56,180 --> 00:02:01,219 Well, the candidate portrays himself as an outsider that has the strength of character and will 23 00:02:01,219 --> 00:02:04,480 to descend into the lion's den, to shut the mouths of the beasts. 24 00:02:05,060 --> 00:02:07,340 He goes forth like St. George to slay the dragon. 25 00:02:07,799 --> 00:02:11,479 Where others have failed, he will succeed in turning around the direction of this country 26 00:02:11,479 --> 00:02:12,599 before it's too late. 27 00:02:12,599 --> 00:02:15,539 He is the Mr. Smith who will go to Washington. 28 00:02:15,719 --> 00:02:17,979 Remember that movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington? 29 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,919 Well, today's candidates say they are that Mr. Smith. 30 00:02:21,180 --> 00:02:25,460 And they will go and stand up to the cynical, self-serving power brokers in it. 31 00:02:26,099 --> 00:02:31,599 And they will, Mr. Smith, Mr. Everyman, Mr. Average, Mr. Good-Natured Citizen, 32 00:02:31,860 --> 00:02:33,960 he will now finally represent the people. 33 00:02:34,580 --> 00:02:38,439 And then amid cheers and fanfare, we send him off to that Babylon on the Potomac 34 00:02:38,439 --> 00:02:44,560 to preach repentance from tyranny and a new conversion to the pure gospel of constitutional liberty. 35 00:02:45,099 --> 00:02:45,879 Go get him, we say. 36 00:02:46,300 --> 00:02:47,060 Give him what for. 37 00:02:47,719 --> 00:02:49,400 Show him what a patriot looks like. 38 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:50,120 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 39 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:56,000 And then off he goes in his little dinghy of liberty, his little rowboat of freedom 40 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:01,020 to go up against the aircraft carriers and battleships of the corrupt Washington establishment. 41 00:03:01,419 --> 00:03:06,960 And then he gets sucked into the vortex of tyranny, the whirlpool of the Washington establishment, 42 00:03:07,379 --> 00:03:11,560 the political black hole of reptilian space alien-type creatures 43 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,620 who are expert at subtly sucking out the human souls of freshman congressmen 44 00:03:15,620 --> 00:03:21,080 and substituting a slimy incubating reptile inside of him that eventually explodes out of his chest 45 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:22,840 like in the movie Alien. 46 00:03:22,979 --> 00:03:24,319 Have you seen that movie, by the way? 47 00:03:24,580 --> 00:03:30,840 And he explodes into a fully-formed beast, or what we, back at home, call a politician. 48 00:03:31,419 --> 00:03:32,240 Oh, yes. 49 00:03:32,439 --> 00:03:36,080 We send a patriot, and he returns to us a politician. 50 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:42,919 Yes, in reality, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, and he gets co-opted, bought, and beguiled. 51 00:03:43,460 --> 00:03:46,939 He's told in no uncertain terms by the big boys who know how to play the game 52 00:03:46,939 --> 00:03:50,759 that if he does play along, he'll get the money he needs to get re-elected, 53 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:54,259 and he'll be able to enjoy all the perks and privileges of his office. 54 00:03:54,620 --> 00:03:55,860 And they are substantial. 55 00:03:56,039 --> 00:04:00,800 I urge you to read Peter Schweitzer's book, Extortion, to see some of the extents of these things. 56 00:04:01,379 --> 00:04:05,759 But if this freshman congressman insists on being a reformer and a patriot, 57 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:10,759 he'll get stonewalled and isolated, and he'll be a one-term flash in the pan, 58 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:16,240 or as one wag puts it, the D.C. in Washington, D.C. means dumped candidate, 59 00:04:16,740 --> 00:04:18,379 if you know what I mean, unquote. 60 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:25,899 While my brief characterization may be a bit overstated, it's not by much. 61 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,720 Men of character are in the race today, and they have been in the past as well. 62 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,839 But the nature of what the office of president has become has self-selected men 63 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,720 who are megalomaniacal, malignant narcissists. 64 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:42,860 Yes, they are malignant narcissists. 65 00:04:43,339 --> 00:04:44,500 Bear with me on these terms. 66 00:04:45,399 --> 00:04:50,040 Megalomaniacal means a mental disorder producing delusions of grandeur, 67 00:04:50,420 --> 00:04:53,939 a passion for grandiose schemes, and a need to control others. 68 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:55,800 Megalomaniacal. 69 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:02,300 A malignant narcissist is a syndrome characterized by an obsession with self, 70 00:05:02,779 --> 00:05:06,379 with paranoia, accompanied with paranoia, an absence of a conscience, 71 00:05:06,540 --> 00:05:09,660 a need to get even, a psychological need for power, 72 00:05:09,899 --> 00:05:12,259 and an inflated sense of self-importance. 73 00:05:12,379 --> 00:05:14,240 We see this all around us in our politicians. 74 00:05:14,740 --> 00:05:15,800 A malignant narcissism. 75 00:05:16,959 --> 00:05:19,040 Yet we in the United States have allowed, 76 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:22,079 yet we have encouraged the offer of the president 77 00:05:22,079 --> 00:05:24,420 to draw and attract such men, 78 00:05:24,899 --> 00:05:28,279 even as cow pies attract flies and rotting corpses draw coyotes. 79 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,600 The office, as it is presently constituted, 80 00:05:31,779 --> 00:05:33,879 self-selects for the malignant narcissist. 81 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,540 It is wired to perform optimally the presidency 82 00:05:37,540 --> 00:05:41,680 when it is occupied by the authoritarian dictatorial personality. 83 00:05:42,620 --> 00:05:45,180 Now, I have documented in past lectures 84 00:05:45,180 --> 00:05:51,100 how we have slipped from electing a simple, severely circumscribed executive 85 00:05:51,100 --> 00:05:55,060 in a constitutional republic, which our constitution calls for, 86 00:05:55,420 --> 00:05:57,360 and we have slipped from that to 87 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:01,600 adulating a pagan shaman king every four years 88 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,040 in a ritualistic orgy of election. 89 00:06:06,779 --> 00:06:09,360 And believe me, our elections are ritualistic. 90 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:14,480 All of the primaries, and the debates, and the media coverage, 91 00:06:14,620 --> 00:06:17,439 it's all very ritualistic every four years. 92 00:06:17,819 --> 00:06:22,699 But we have this ritualistic orgy of emotion and passion and angst 93 00:06:22,699 --> 00:06:23,800 that we call elections. 94 00:06:24,699 --> 00:06:27,680 Now, Mr. Dr. Frazier has meticulously documented 95 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,519 how our pagan tribal ancestors chose their shaman kings 96 00:06:31,519 --> 00:06:34,720 in the misty past in his famous book, The Golden Bough. 97 00:06:34,959 --> 00:06:38,500 And it is eerie how little human nature changes over the millennia 98 00:06:38,500 --> 00:06:41,800 in rejecting our Christian heritage and the God of the Bible. 99 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,660 We have swiftly regressed to our pagan roots, 100 00:06:45,060 --> 00:06:47,839 our primitive default setting of man worship 101 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,360 and God-seeking and magical thinking. 102 00:06:50,699 --> 00:06:53,720 Behold, America, your destiny of dictatorship 103 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:55,980 if we keep proceeding down this road. 104 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,459 And I have also documented for you in lectures past 105 00:06:59,459 --> 00:07:03,180 how the office of president has morphed into its present state 106 00:07:03,180 --> 00:07:06,139 in a giant proportion to the growth and maturation 107 00:07:06,139 --> 00:07:09,180 of the once-constitutional republic we used to be 108 00:07:09,180 --> 00:07:11,220 into the great nation it once was 109 00:07:11,220 --> 00:07:14,639 and now morphed into the beast of revelation it now is. 110 00:07:15,139 --> 00:07:17,779 While many megalomaniacal presidents 111 00:07:17,779 --> 00:07:19,439 nurtured the beast of government, 112 00:07:19,980 --> 00:07:22,040 and I give you the examples of Abraham Lincoln, 113 00:07:22,199 --> 00:07:23,920 no favorite president of mine, 114 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,939 Teddy Roosevelt during the Industrial Revolution, 115 00:07:27,279 --> 00:07:30,199 and of course Woodrow Wilson during World War I, 116 00:07:30,199 --> 00:07:33,579 but it was FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 117 00:07:33,879 --> 00:07:36,860 who put the tyranny of the federal government into warp drive. 118 00:07:37,420 --> 00:07:38,000 His nickname? 119 00:07:38,199 --> 00:07:41,379 His nickname through his presidency was King Franklin. 120 00:07:41,639 --> 00:07:42,399 Very apt. 121 00:07:43,100 --> 00:07:45,139 Ever since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 122 00:07:45,540 --> 00:07:49,560 the power of the presidency has metastasized into an ugly cancer, 123 00:07:49,959 --> 00:07:52,319 the host body politic of the United States 124 00:07:52,319 --> 00:07:55,079 growing ever more delicious to the predator beast 125 00:07:55,079 --> 00:07:57,439 with the lever of oblivion, the doomsday box, 126 00:07:57,439 --> 00:08:00,759 what presidential aides have come to call affectionately the nuclear football. 127 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,879 It contains the nuclear codes for launching an attack with nuclear weapons. 128 00:08:05,379 --> 00:08:08,860 Nothing goads the tyrant like the power of life and death over his subjects. 129 00:08:09,860 --> 00:08:13,399 What role does the president play in all of this? 130 00:08:13,399 --> 00:08:19,459 Oh, why do malignant narcissists lust after this larger-than-life office? 131 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:23,040 Oh, dear listener, because so much power and influence 132 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:26,699 has been concentrated in this one office 133 00:08:26,699 --> 00:08:29,699 that he can affect every area of American life. 134 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,539 The president has become, for the pagan tribal American, 135 00:08:32,899 --> 00:08:34,139 a shaman priest-king, 136 00:08:34,299 --> 00:08:37,100 able to magically bring prosperity to the tribe 137 00:08:37,100 --> 00:08:39,559 by creating jobs and stimulating the economy, 138 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:41,419 by controlling the weather, 139 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:43,820 as the pagan shaman kings used to claim to do, 140 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,000 that is, influencing climate change like Obama says he can. 141 00:08:47,379 --> 00:08:49,779 They were able to heal the sick and cure the deaf, 142 00:08:49,879 --> 00:08:50,679 the dumb and the blind, 143 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:52,860 even as Obama promises to do in Obamacare. 144 00:08:53,179 --> 00:08:57,320 Even the tribal pagan priest-kings promised to bring peace to the planet 145 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:59,480 by his persuasive charm and personality. 146 00:08:59,879 --> 00:09:03,340 And note with me the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Obama 147 00:09:03,340 --> 00:09:05,179 before he had even done a thing. 148 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,720 This sweeping, godlike stature 149 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,419 is irresistible to the megalomaniacal, malignant narcissist. 150 00:09:13,279 --> 00:09:14,899 He must grasp after it. 151 00:09:15,259 --> 00:09:17,240 He will sacrifice everything for it, 152 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,759 if he must, family, marriage, character, integrity, even life itself. 153 00:09:21,340 --> 00:09:22,740 But, I submit to you, 154 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,399 God has built into the clamoring for power a price. 155 00:09:26,940 --> 00:09:29,700 And that is the price of the aspirant's soul. 156 00:09:30,159 --> 00:09:31,960 His humanity is forfeit. 157 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:34,960 And the Bible confirms this at every juncture 158 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:38,500 where power is grasped after for its own sake. 159 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,639 For example, Nebuchadnezzar thought himself godlike 160 00:09:41,639 --> 00:09:42,419 when he exclaimed, 161 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:44,639 Is this not great Babylon I have built 162 00:09:44,639 --> 00:09:47,360 as the royal residence by my mighty power 163 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:48,980 and for the glory of my majesty? 164 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:51,100 And the Bible says that immediately 165 00:09:51,100 --> 00:09:53,139 he was driven away to live in the fields 166 00:09:53,139 --> 00:09:55,039 like a beast for seven years. 167 00:09:55,539 --> 00:09:57,279 He lost his soul, his humanity, 168 00:09:57,820 --> 00:09:58,899 in aspiring to power. 169 00:09:59,659 --> 00:10:01,299 Herod, when he appeared before the people 170 00:10:01,299 --> 00:10:02,100 to give a speech, 171 00:10:02,220 --> 00:10:04,000 received the adulation of the crowds 172 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:04,639 when they shouted, 173 00:10:05,059 --> 00:10:07,299 This is the voice of a god, not of a man. 174 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:09,039 And the Bible says that immediately 175 00:10:09,039 --> 00:10:11,039 because he did not give praise to God, 176 00:10:11,100 --> 00:10:14,440 he was struck down and eaten by worms and died. 177 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:16,639 He as well lost his humanity, 178 00:10:16,919 --> 00:10:18,940 his soul, in his grasp after power. 179 00:10:19,620 --> 00:10:21,139 The Bible is filled with accounts 180 00:10:21,139 --> 00:10:23,720 of men who aspired to grasp after 181 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:26,000 and die in body and soul, 182 00:10:26,299 --> 00:10:28,120 attaining and retaining power. 183 00:10:28,779 --> 00:10:31,379 No one better personifies this than King Saul. 184 00:10:31,980 --> 00:10:33,720 King Saul, in the Old Testament, 185 00:10:34,299 --> 00:10:37,259 began auspiciously as Israel's first king, 186 00:10:37,259 --> 00:10:39,340 a righteous man, righteously chosen. 187 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:41,200 But somewhere along the way, 188 00:10:41,460 --> 00:10:42,460 he died inside. 189 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:44,360 And all that mattered to him 190 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,480 was gaining and retaining power. 191 00:10:47,019 --> 00:10:49,460 When Saul determined to carry out his will 192 00:10:49,460 --> 00:10:52,159 rather than God's will at Gilgal, for example, 193 00:10:52,379 --> 00:10:54,440 by sacrificing some of the animals 194 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:55,539 and plunder to God, 195 00:10:55,879 --> 00:10:58,519 part of which they would enjoy in a meal, by the way, 196 00:10:58,820 --> 00:11:01,519 well, then God punished such political hubris. 197 00:11:02,100 --> 00:11:03,419 The Bible says in 1 Samuel, 198 00:11:03,419 --> 00:11:05,639 does the Lord delight in burnt offerings 199 00:11:05,639 --> 00:11:07,720 and sacrifices as much as in obeying 200 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:08,600 the voice of the Lord? 201 00:11:09,019 --> 00:11:10,799 To obey is better than sacrifice 202 00:11:10,799 --> 00:11:13,519 and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 203 00:11:14,019 --> 00:11:16,220 For rebellion is like the sin of divination 204 00:11:16,220 --> 00:11:19,419 and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. 205 00:11:19,799 --> 00:11:21,940 Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, 206 00:11:22,100 --> 00:11:24,179 Samuel said, he has rejected you, 207 00:11:24,460 --> 00:11:26,080 unquote, from the book of 1 Samuel. 208 00:11:26,820 --> 00:11:29,240 And from here, Saul would begin his descent 209 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,720 into literal idolatry and divination, 210 00:11:32,379 --> 00:11:34,059 worshiping his throne and his crown 211 00:11:34,059 --> 00:11:36,139 and consulting with witches, 212 00:11:36,639 --> 00:11:38,299 specifically the witch at Endor. 213 00:11:39,059 --> 00:11:40,940 And for these, he would sacrifice everything 214 00:11:40,940 --> 00:11:43,519 and be consumed by his lust for power. 215 00:11:43,980 --> 00:11:46,139 Those who seek wealth and power 216 00:11:46,139 --> 00:11:48,039 follow this same pattern, 217 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:50,279 the Saul syndrome, I call it, 218 00:11:50,419 --> 00:11:52,360 where well-intentioned people are overcome 219 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:54,039 by their power, privilege, and position, 220 00:11:54,039 --> 00:11:55,679 and they come to see themselves 221 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:57,759 not as God's servant of civil authority 222 00:11:57,759 --> 00:11:59,620 for the people, but rather they come 223 00:11:59,620 --> 00:12:02,100 to see themselves as the God of civil authority 224 00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:03,299 over a servant people. 225 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:05,299 Ye shall become as gods. 226 00:12:05,419 --> 00:12:07,000 The serpent hissed into Eve's ear. 227 00:12:07,259 --> 00:12:08,320 And so he has been whispering 228 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:09,759 into men's ears ever since. 229 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,120 Even our Lord in the temptation of Christ. 230 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,679 Satan said, I will give you all the authority 231 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:16,299 and splendor of the kingdoms of the world, 232 00:12:16,419 --> 00:12:17,899 for it has been given to me 233 00:12:17,899 --> 00:12:19,860 and I can give it to anyone I want to. 234 00:12:20,159 --> 00:12:22,480 So if you worship me, it will all be yours, 235 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,960 unquote, Satan's temptation of Christ. 236 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:27,220 Now our savior resisted this temptation, 237 00:12:27,220 --> 00:12:28,539 but most men do not. 238 00:12:29,539 --> 00:12:31,039 Saul succumbed to this temptation, 239 00:12:31,519 --> 00:12:33,460 as have most all of our presidents, 240 00:12:33,659 --> 00:12:35,360 including the present occupant. 241 00:12:35,980 --> 00:12:38,659 Saul is meant to be exhibit A in this metaphor. 242 00:12:39,399 --> 00:12:41,559 While the ascendancy of his young protege 243 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:43,240 with that ascendancy, 244 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,460 the shepherd boy turned warrior, 245 00:12:45,860 --> 00:12:48,679 David, Saul's jealousy was aroused. 246 00:12:49,159 --> 00:12:50,500 The people were saying of David, 247 00:12:50,500 --> 00:12:52,279 Saul has slain his thousands 248 00:12:52,279 --> 00:12:54,340 and David his tens of thousands. 249 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:56,740 Ooh, how that irked Saul. 250 00:12:57,220 --> 00:12:58,500 Saul's fear is telling. 251 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,279 He said, what more can he get but the kingdom? 252 00:13:01,919 --> 00:13:02,399 Uh-oh. 253 00:13:03,039 --> 00:13:04,200 Here was Saul's nerve. 254 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:06,259 His precious, if you will. 255 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:08,080 You remember from the Lord of the Rings. 256 00:13:08,500 --> 00:13:10,500 Gollum would call the ring of power 257 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:12,539 his precious, his precious. 258 00:13:12,759 --> 00:13:14,240 That is, his first love. 259 00:13:14,799 --> 00:13:17,879 And power proved his undoing for Saul. 260 00:13:18,539 --> 00:13:19,299 From here on in, 261 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,399 Saul is visited regularly by demons 262 00:13:21,399 --> 00:13:22,600 who afflict his soul. 263 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:23,559 And ironically, 264 00:13:23,759 --> 00:13:26,019 the only therapy that could soothe Saul 265 00:13:26,019 --> 00:13:27,299 and drive away the demons 266 00:13:27,299 --> 00:13:29,259 was David and his music. 267 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:30,899 Behold, O listener, 268 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:32,879 a regular feature of power, 269 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:34,899 its alliance and association 270 00:13:34,899 --> 00:13:35,860 with the demonic, 271 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:38,159 the Luciferian, the satanic. 272 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:40,440 King Saul is emblematic 273 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:41,860 of this state of affairs. 274 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:43,779 It is Lucifer who dangles 275 00:13:43,779 --> 00:13:44,899 the kingdoms of this world 276 00:13:44,899 --> 00:13:45,840 before the eyes of men. 277 00:13:46,059 --> 00:13:47,820 And it is Lucifer who afflicts them 278 00:13:47,820 --> 00:13:48,879 with the fears, freight, 279 00:13:49,059 --> 00:13:49,700 and fright, 280 00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:51,000 and failures of power. 281 00:13:51,419 --> 00:13:53,080 And it is Lucifer who demands 282 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:54,620 the awful price for that power, 283 00:13:54,940 --> 00:13:55,960 a man's soul. 284 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:57,620 If you worship me, 285 00:13:57,879 --> 00:13:59,000 it will all be yours, 286 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:00,379 he hisses into the ear 287 00:14:00,379 --> 00:14:01,360 of the politician. 288 00:14:02,519 --> 00:14:03,700 Saul is a biblical example, 289 00:14:04,419 --> 00:14:05,679 a prototype of what we see 290 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:06,679 in Washington, D.C. 291 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:08,600 Make no mistake, dear listener, 292 00:14:08,799 --> 00:14:10,039 Lucifer is alive and well 293 00:14:10,039 --> 00:14:11,659 in the new capital of his kingdom, 294 00:14:12,039 --> 00:14:13,059 Washington, D.C. 295 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:14,720 D.C. could well stand 296 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:15,899 for Devil's City. 297 00:14:16,460 --> 00:14:18,240 These people are no longer like us. 298 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:19,840 They are different inside. 299 00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:21,299 Behind closed doors, 300 00:14:21,539 --> 00:14:24,120 more souls than you may think 301 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:25,279 have it all precisely 302 00:14:25,279 --> 00:14:26,700 because they do worship me. 303 00:14:26,820 --> 00:14:27,940 That is the angel of light, 304 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:28,960 the light bearer, 305 00:14:29,220 --> 00:14:30,080 the prince of the power 306 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:31,240 of the air, Lucifer. 307 00:14:31,740 --> 00:14:32,980 Power is the precious 308 00:14:32,980 --> 00:14:34,299 for many there. 309 00:14:34,820 --> 00:14:36,120 The hollow men and women 310 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:36,879 you see there 311 00:14:36,879 --> 00:14:38,279 have sold their souls 312 00:14:38,279 --> 00:14:38,919 to Lucifer 313 00:14:38,919 --> 00:14:40,620 and are just biding their time 314 00:14:40,620 --> 00:14:42,440 in the lap of luxury and power 315 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:43,399 until death 316 00:14:43,399 --> 00:14:44,580 and the judgment day. 317 00:14:44,820 --> 00:14:45,960 But that day of judgment 318 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:46,899 will come, dear listener. 319 00:14:47,019 --> 00:14:48,059 Make no mistake about it. 320 00:14:48,059 --> 00:14:48,960 That day will come. 321 00:14:49,379 --> 00:14:50,000 God's vengeance 322 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:50,879 does not sleep 323 00:14:50,879 --> 00:14:52,779 nor does his judgment slumber, 324 00:14:52,940 --> 00:14:53,720 as the Bible says. 325 00:14:54,220 --> 00:14:56,080 As with all men of power, 326 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:57,259 men characterized 327 00:14:57,259 --> 00:14:59,279 by malignant narcissism, 328 00:14:59,700 --> 00:15:01,379 they grasp onto power 329 00:15:01,379 --> 00:15:02,600 but they cannot hold it. 330 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:03,360 It's like jello. 331 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:04,480 The more it's squeezed, 332 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:05,179 the more it slips 333 00:15:05,179 --> 00:15:06,000 from one's grasp. 334 00:15:06,559 --> 00:15:07,820 They lash out at real 335 00:15:07,820 --> 00:15:08,679 and perceived enemies 336 00:15:08,679 --> 00:15:09,700 they cannot defeat. 337 00:15:10,419 --> 00:15:11,000 Herod the Great 338 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:12,600 killed so many of his family, 339 00:15:12,679 --> 00:15:13,120 for example, 340 00:15:13,220 --> 00:15:14,940 in paranoia for his throne 341 00:15:14,940 --> 00:15:16,059 that it was said 342 00:15:16,059 --> 00:15:17,279 as a proverb of Herod. 343 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:18,440 It is safer to be 344 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:19,340 an enemy of Herod 345 00:15:19,340 --> 00:15:20,059 than a loved one. 346 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:22,500 And then they end up dying 347 00:15:22,500 --> 00:15:23,820 as hollow souls 348 00:15:23,820 --> 00:15:25,259 that cannot be satisfied, 349 00:15:25,519 --> 00:15:26,480 corrupted by their own 350 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:27,340 power and greed. 351 00:15:28,139 --> 00:15:29,240 So it is with Saul. 352 00:15:29,879 --> 00:15:30,919 Saul tried to kill 353 00:15:30,919 --> 00:15:31,639 the best man 354 00:15:31,639 --> 00:15:32,600 in his kingdom, David. 355 00:15:33,159 --> 00:15:34,580 David was Saul's best general, 356 00:15:34,740 --> 00:15:36,019 winning all of Israel's battles 357 00:15:36,019 --> 00:15:37,019 against the Philistines. 358 00:15:37,419 --> 00:15:38,980 David was Saul's best counselor, 359 00:15:39,179 --> 00:15:40,360 soothing the soul 360 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:41,379 of the savage beast 361 00:15:41,379 --> 00:15:42,100 with his music 362 00:15:42,100 --> 00:15:43,620 when the demons beset him. 363 00:15:44,059 --> 00:15:44,799 David was even 364 00:15:44,799 --> 00:15:45,879 Saul's son-in-law, 365 00:15:46,159 --> 00:15:46,899 having married 366 00:15:46,899 --> 00:15:47,820 his daughter, 367 00:15:48,259 --> 00:15:48,779 Mishal. 368 00:15:49,559 --> 00:15:50,139 Even so, 369 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:52,039 Saul hated and envied David 370 00:15:52,039 --> 00:15:53,720 and sought on numerous occasions 371 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:55,240 to have him killed. 372 00:15:56,220 --> 00:15:57,480 Saul's end, then, 373 00:15:57,960 --> 00:15:59,620 was as he deserved. 374 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:01,620 Saul had so sunk 375 00:16:01,620 --> 00:16:02,320 to depravity 376 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:03,860 that no longer able 377 00:16:03,860 --> 00:16:04,860 to consult God 378 00:16:04,860 --> 00:16:05,899 because of his rebellion, 379 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:07,600 Saul finally resorted 380 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:08,220 to witches, 381 00:16:08,899 --> 00:16:09,539 in particular, 382 00:16:09,539 --> 00:16:10,580 the witch of Endor, 383 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:12,340 demonic paganism, 384 00:16:12,539 --> 00:16:14,240 to discover the omens 385 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:14,879 of success 386 00:16:14,879 --> 00:16:16,000 for an upcoming battle. 387 00:16:16,679 --> 00:16:17,399 By the end, 388 00:16:17,740 --> 00:16:19,399 Saul is completely despondent, 389 00:16:19,539 --> 00:16:20,059 dejected, 390 00:16:20,139 --> 00:16:20,759 and deluded. 391 00:16:21,159 --> 00:16:22,179 He ends up dying 392 00:16:22,179 --> 00:16:22,679 the death 393 00:16:22,679 --> 00:16:23,860 of a pagan idolator 394 00:16:23,860 --> 00:16:25,240 in that battle. 395 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:27,399 Saul's head is severed 396 00:16:27,399 --> 00:16:27,980 as a trophy 397 00:16:27,980 --> 00:16:28,879 for the Philistines. 398 00:16:29,159 --> 00:16:30,059 His armor is placed 399 00:16:30,059 --> 00:16:30,759 on the altars 400 00:16:30,759 --> 00:16:31,860 of the Philistine goddess 401 00:16:31,860 --> 00:16:32,679 Ashtoreth, 402 00:16:33,519 --> 00:16:34,519 and Saul's body 403 00:16:34,519 --> 00:16:36,039 is nailed to the walls 404 00:16:36,039 --> 00:16:37,419 of the pagan temple city 405 00:16:37,419 --> 00:16:38,360 Beth-shan. 406 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:40,700 Oh, behold, 407 00:16:40,820 --> 00:16:41,259 dear listener, 408 00:16:41,799 --> 00:16:42,259 behold, 409 00:16:42,419 --> 00:16:43,419 pursuers of power, 410 00:16:43,779 --> 00:16:44,320 the end 411 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:45,299 of your ambitions. 412 00:16:46,059 --> 00:16:47,460 God is not mocked. 413 00:16:47,740 --> 00:16:48,320 His vengeance 414 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:49,320 does not sleep, 415 00:16:49,419 --> 00:16:50,279 nor does his judgment 416 00:16:50,279 --> 00:16:50,779 slumber. 417 00:16:51,460 --> 00:16:52,379 Sell your soul 418 00:16:52,379 --> 00:16:53,360 for earthly power, 419 00:16:53,620 --> 00:16:54,799 and worship Lucifer 420 00:16:54,799 --> 00:16:55,379 to get it, 421 00:16:55,679 --> 00:16:56,500 and you will die 422 00:16:56,500 --> 00:16:57,539 the death of Saul, 423 00:16:57,840 --> 00:16:58,879 the death of Stalin, 424 00:16:59,059 --> 00:17:00,340 who died in paranoia 425 00:17:00,340 --> 00:17:00,879 and regret, 426 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:01,960 the death of Mao, 427 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:03,440 who died in fear 428 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:04,960 and constant reprisals 429 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:05,799 to the very day 430 00:17:05,799 --> 00:17:06,319 of his death 431 00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:07,180 he was executing 432 00:17:07,180 --> 00:17:08,539 perceived and real enemies, 433 00:17:08,779 --> 00:17:09,420 or the death 434 00:17:09,420 --> 00:17:09,859 of Hitler, 435 00:17:10,099 --> 00:17:10,880 committing suicide 436 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:11,660 as the Allies 437 00:17:11,660 --> 00:17:12,500 stormed his bunker, 438 00:17:12,700 --> 00:17:13,220 or the death 439 00:17:13,220 --> 00:17:13,700 of Nero, 440 00:17:13,839 --> 00:17:14,720 who committed suicide 441 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:15,940 by cutting his own throat 442 00:17:15,940 --> 00:17:16,480 in flight 443 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:17,599 from his own soldiers. 444 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:18,980 Oh, 445 00:17:19,619 --> 00:17:20,220 behold, 446 00:17:20,460 --> 00:17:21,019 the death 447 00:17:21,019 --> 00:17:21,660 of those 448 00:17:21,660 --> 00:17:22,339 who sacrifice 449 00:17:22,339 --> 00:17:23,440 all for power. 450 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,099 The ring of power 451 00:17:26,099 --> 00:17:27,440 destroys those 452 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:28,180 who possess it. 453 00:17:28,819 --> 00:17:30,039 This is one of the themes 454 00:17:30,039 --> 00:17:31,839 of J.R.R. Tolkien's 455 00:17:31,839 --> 00:17:32,859 great magnum opus, 456 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:33,839 The Lord of the Rings. 457 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:35,680 The universal power 458 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:36,460 of evil, 459 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:37,359 summarized in 460 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:38,619 Lucifer's Temptation of Christ, 461 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:39,380 if you worship me, 462 00:17:39,420 --> 00:17:41,000 all of the authority 463 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:41,500 and splendor 464 00:17:41,500 --> 00:17:41,960 of the kingdoms 465 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:42,480 of the world 466 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:43,079 will be yours, 467 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:44,579 is given in the metaphor 468 00:17:44,579 --> 00:17:46,220 of the rings of power 469 00:17:46,220 --> 00:17:48,119 in J.R.R. Tolkien's 470 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:49,079 The Lord of the Rings. 471 00:17:49,079 --> 00:17:50,420 Read this series, 472 00:17:50,539 --> 00:17:50,960 dear listener. 473 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:52,440 Ten of these rings 474 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:53,299 have been forged 475 00:17:53,299 --> 00:17:54,039 in the fires 476 00:17:54,039 --> 00:17:54,799 of Mount Doom, 477 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:55,880 nine of which 478 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:56,519 are in possession 479 00:17:56,519 --> 00:17:57,440 of the ringwraiths 480 00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:58,059 of Sauron, 481 00:17:58,339 --> 00:17:59,140 the personification 482 00:17:59,140 --> 00:18:00,000 of Lucifer. 483 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:01,660 These ringwraiths 484 00:18:01,660 --> 00:18:02,400 were once men 485 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:03,480 but are now hollow, 486 00:18:03,859 --> 00:18:04,220 swift, 487 00:18:04,539 --> 00:18:05,359 screeching demons 488 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:06,079 of Sauron, 489 00:18:06,460 --> 00:18:07,460 having sold their souls 490 00:18:07,460 --> 00:18:08,640 for temporary power 491 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:09,220 in the kingdom 492 00:18:09,220 --> 00:18:10,299 of the Dark Lord. 493 00:18:11,039 --> 00:18:11,720 But the one ring 494 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:12,140 of power 495 00:18:12,140 --> 00:18:12,799 that unites 496 00:18:12,799 --> 00:18:13,859 and perfects 497 00:18:13,859 --> 00:18:14,380 Sauron's 498 00:18:14,380 --> 00:18:15,480 complete domination 499 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:16,519 and dominion 500 00:18:16,519 --> 00:18:17,180 of Middle-earth, 501 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:18,539 this one ring 502 00:18:18,539 --> 00:18:19,640 that binds them, 503 00:18:19,900 --> 00:18:20,539 the one ring 504 00:18:20,539 --> 00:18:21,539 to rule them all 505 00:18:21,539 --> 00:18:23,160 is lost temporarily 506 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:23,900 to Sauron. 507 00:18:24,420 --> 00:18:25,960 This is the dual motive 508 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:27,180 that impels the action 509 00:18:27,180 --> 00:18:27,960 of the Lord of the Rings, 510 00:18:28,059 --> 00:18:28,680 the dual motive, 511 00:18:28,799 --> 00:18:29,160 number one, 512 00:18:29,539 --> 00:18:30,259 Sauron's quest 513 00:18:30,259 --> 00:18:31,059 to regain the ring 514 00:18:31,059 --> 00:18:31,480 of power 515 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,140 and then Middle-earth's 516 00:18:33,140 --> 00:18:34,579 quest to destroy 517 00:18:34,579 --> 00:18:35,359 the ring of power 518 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:36,339 before Sauron 519 00:18:36,339 --> 00:18:36,920 regains it 520 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:37,900 and conquers completely. 521 00:18:38,539 --> 00:18:39,299 But in the meantime, 522 00:18:39,420 --> 00:18:40,480 the one ring of power, 523 00:18:40,900 --> 00:18:41,539 lusted after, 524 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:42,180 fought over, 525 00:18:42,339 --> 00:18:43,259 possessed by many 526 00:18:43,259 --> 00:18:43,819 in the story, 527 00:18:44,140 --> 00:18:45,099 ends up destroying 528 00:18:45,099 --> 00:18:45,740 all those 529 00:18:45,740 --> 00:18:46,500 who possess it. 530 00:18:47,099 --> 00:18:47,799 It is only 531 00:18:47,799 --> 00:18:48,640 the simple heart 532 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:49,220 of Frodo 533 00:18:49,220 --> 00:18:50,039 that remains 534 00:18:50,039 --> 00:18:51,240 uncorrupted by it, 535 00:18:51,420 --> 00:18:51,920 though he does 536 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:52,859 pay a terrible price 537 00:18:52,859 --> 00:18:53,180 nevertheless 538 00:18:53,180 --> 00:18:53,920 for his mission 539 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:54,920 to destroy that ring 540 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:55,460 in the fires 541 00:18:55,460 --> 00:18:56,000 of Mount Doom. 542 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:57,039 Oh, 543 00:18:57,359 --> 00:18:58,099 what a perfect 544 00:18:58,099 --> 00:18:59,240 and exciting metaphor 545 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:00,200 for power 546 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:01,240 in the beast 547 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:01,779 of Revelation, 548 00:19:02,039 --> 00:19:03,000 Washington, D.C. 549 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:04,380 How many 550 00:19:04,380 --> 00:19:05,059 in the bowels 551 00:19:05,059 --> 00:19:06,099 of Washington, D.C. 552 00:19:06,099 --> 00:19:07,319 are ring-wraiths 553 00:19:07,319 --> 00:19:07,920 of Sauron, 554 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:08,440 if you will, 555 00:19:08,799 --> 00:19:09,460 hollow men 556 00:19:09,460 --> 00:19:10,319 intoxicated 557 00:19:10,319 --> 00:19:10,940 with power, 558 00:19:11,319 --> 00:19:11,599 wealth, 559 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:12,380 and influence, 560 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:13,400 but who use it 561 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:14,019 for evil 562 00:19:14,019 --> 00:19:15,240 and selfish ends. 563 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:16,740 Power and wealth, 564 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:17,279 dear listener, 565 00:19:17,660 --> 00:19:18,920 are being concentrated 566 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:19,900 into the hands 567 00:19:19,900 --> 00:19:21,079 of fewer and fewer men, 568 00:19:21,759 --> 00:19:22,480 the superclass, 569 00:19:22,579 --> 00:19:23,200 as some call them, 570 00:19:23,259 --> 00:19:24,180 or the plutocrats, 571 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:25,180 as others call them. 572 00:19:25,619 --> 00:19:26,579 These are titles 573 00:19:26,579 --> 00:19:27,440 of two books 574 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:28,359 that you must read 575 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:29,660 of the same names, 576 00:19:29,900 --> 00:19:31,039 one called superclass, 577 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:32,460 the other called plutocrats, 578 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:34,240 but wealth 579 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:35,259 is being concentrated 580 00:19:35,259 --> 00:19:36,180 into the hands 581 00:19:36,180 --> 00:19:37,339 of fewer and fewer men, 582 00:19:37,460 --> 00:19:38,579 and Washington, D.C. 583 00:19:38,579 --> 00:19:39,500 is one of those 584 00:19:39,500 --> 00:19:40,500 portals of hell, 585 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:41,740 one of those gates 586 00:19:41,740 --> 00:19:42,599 of the underworld, 587 00:19:42,839 --> 00:19:43,839 Washington, D.C., 588 00:19:43,839 --> 00:19:44,819 where that wealth 589 00:19:44,819 --> 00:19:45,920 and power of the people 590 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:47,140 of the United States 591 00:19:47,140 --> 00:19:48,279 is being funneled 592 00:19:48,279 --> 00:19:50,220 like a powerful black hole 593 00:19:50,220 --> 00:19:51,200 into the hands 594 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:52,519 of fewer and fewer men, 595 00:19:52,900 --> 00:19:53,559 ring-wraiths, 596 00:19:53,579 --> 00:19:55,079 who serve Sauron 597 00:19:55,079 --> 00:19:56,460 and end up destroying 598 00:19:56,460 --> 00:19:57,079 Middle Earth. 599 00:19:58,140 --> 00:19:59,000 Even the good men 600 00:19:59,000 --> 00:19:59,500 of our country 601 00:19:59,500 --> 00:20:00,440 end up being corrupted 602 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:01,079 by power. 603 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:02,400 They go, 604 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:04,099 like Mr. Smith, 605 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:04,779 to Washington 606 00:20:04,779 --> 00:20:05,579 with good hearts 607 00:20:05,579 --> 00:20:06,900 and good intentions, 608 00:20:07,079 --> 00:20:07,339 perhaps, 609 00:20:07,599 --> 00:20:08,259 but they end up 610 00:20:08,259 --> 00:20:09,119 like Gollum 611 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:10,460 in the Lord of the Rings, 612 00:20:10,740 --> 00:20:12,160 a once innocent hobbit 613 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:13,259 who found the ring, 614 00:20:13,259 --> 00:20:14,900 and possessed it 615 00:20:14,900 --> 00:20:16,180 for decades, 616 00:20:16,299 --> 00:20:17,440 but is now corrupted, 617 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:18,119 debauched, 618 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:18,799 and depraved 619 00:20:18,799 --> 00:20:20,579 by too long possession 620 00:20:20,579 --> 00:20:21,539 of the ring of power, 621 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:23,180 a thing that had become 622 00:20:23,180 --> 00:20:24,000 his precious, 623 00:20:24,859 --> 00:20:25,480 the first thing 624 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:26,019 in his life, 625 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:27,460 replacing God, 626 00:20:27,900 --> 00:20:28,440 an evil 627 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:29,420 that has reduced him 628 00:20:29,420 --> 00:20:30,059 to a weak, 629 00:20:30,579 --> 00:20:31,680 pathetic creature. 630 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:33,839 This is the state 631 00:20:33,839 --> 00:20:34,759 of the establishment 632 00:20:34,759 --> 00:20:35,359 Republicans 633 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:36,319 and the establishment 634 00:20:36,319 --> 00:20:37,019 Democrats 635 00:20:37,019 --> 00:20:38,480 in Washington, D.C. 636 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:38,859 today. 637 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:39,880 They are weak, 638 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:41,200 pathetic creatures. 639 00:20:41,759 --> 00:20:42,180 This is why 640 00:20:42,180 --> 00:20:43,059 they squeal 641 00:20:43,059 --> 00:20:43,980 like stuck pigs 642 00:20:43,980 --> 00:20:45,200 when anti-establishment 643 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:46,000 candidates threaten 644 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:46,579 to kick over 645 00:20:46,579 --> 00:20:47,339 the pig trough, 646 00:20:47,559 --> 00:20:48,380 when outsiders 647 00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:49,099 and patriots 648 00:20:49,099 --> 00:20:49,700 threaten to throw 649 00:20:49,700 --> 00:20:50,380 the ring of power 650 00:20:50,380 --> 00:20:50,940 into the fires 651 00:20:50,940 --> 00:20:51,539 of Mount Doom 652 00:20:51,539 --> 00:20:52,779 and return sovereignty 653 00:20:52,779 --> 00:20:53,460 to the people. 654 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:55,140 How should we behave 655 00:20:55,140 --> 00:20:56,039 towards power then, 656 00:20:56,079 --> 00:20:56,460 dear listener? 657 00:20:56,900 --> 00:20:57,420 If not, 658 00:20:57,539 --> 00:20:58,180 like King Saul, 659 00:20:58,400 --> 00:20:59,339 how should we behave? 660 00:20:59,819 --> 00:21:00,380 Once more, 661 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:01,579 the Bible provides 662 00:21:01,579 --> 00:21:02,920 a parallel counterpoint 663 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:03,400 to Saul, 664 00:21:03,599 --> 00:21:04,579 and that is David. 665 00:21:04,579 --> 00:21:06,799 If our public servants 666 00:21:06,799 --> 00:21:07,500 lived power 667 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:08,380 like David did, 668 00:21:08,619 --> 00:21:09,420 we would indeed 669 00:21:09,420 --> 00:21:10,319 return quickly 670 00:21:10,319 --> 00:21:12,019 to a constitutional republic. 671 00:21:12,460 --> 00:21:13,059 Note with me, 672 00:21:13,559 --> 00:21:14,200 David's attitude 673 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:14,799 toward power. 674 00:21:14,900 --> 00:21:15,400 Five things. 675 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:15,819 Number one, 676 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:17,359 David put God first. 677 00:21:17,940 --> 00:21:18,720 We know this 678 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:19,319 from the account 679 00:21:19,319 --> 00:21:19,920 of Samuel 680 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:21,920 and Israel's songbook 681 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:22,559 to the Psalms, 682 00:21:22,599 --> 00:21:23,140 many of which 683 00:21:23,140 --> 00:21:23,819 David composed. 684 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:24,900 David put God first. 685 00:21:25,299 --> 00:21:25,720 For example, 686 00:21:25,839 --> 00:21:26,579 in Psalm 73, 687 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:26,980 he says, 688 00:21:27,220 --> 00:21:28,200 Whom have I in heaven 689 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:28,700 but you? 690 00:21:29,099 --> 00:21:30,160 And earth has nothing 691 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:31,500 I desire besides you. 692 00:21:31,859 --> 00:21:32,500 My flesh 693 00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:33,519 and my heart may fail, 694 00:21:33,519 --> 00:21:34,960 but God is the strength 695 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:35,460 of my heart 696 00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:36,740 and my portion forever. 697 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:37,579 Unquote. 698 00:21:37,900 --> 00:21:39,099 David put God first. 699 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,140 In David's heart, 700 00:21:41,380 --> 00:21:42,180 there was no room 701 00:21:42,180 --> 00:21:43,460 for the God of power 702 00:21:43,460 --> 00:21:45,000 or for any other precious 703 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,420 but the living God. 704 00:21:47,039 --> 00:21:47,819 From president 705 00:21:47,819 --> 00:21:48,660 to dog catcher, 706 00:21:48,740 --> 00:21:49,119 dear listener, 707 00:21:49,220 --> 00:21:49,900 I submit to you, 708 00:21:49,980 --> 00:21:51,180 we must elect men and women 709 00:21:51,180 --> 00:21:52,099 who put God first 710 00:21:52,099 --> 00:21:52,819 in their lives. 711 00:21:53,380 --> 00:21:54,720 Such men cannot be bought, 712 00:21:54,900 --> 00:21:55,539 sold, corrupted, 713 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:56,259 or compromised. 714 00:21:57,339 --> 00:21:57,660 Secondly, 715 00:21:58,059 --> 00:21:58,880 note with me as well, 716 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:00,539 David recognized God 717 00:22:00,539 --> 00:22:00,960 as king, 718 00:22:01,180 --> 00:22:01,819 not himself. 719 00:22:02,559 --> 00:22:03,259 Unlike Saul, 720 00:22:03,259 --> 00:22:04,759 and all godless tyrants, 721 00:22:05,220 --> 00:22:05,880 David understood 722 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:06,720 to his toenails 723 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:07,740 that God was sovereign 724 00:22:07,740 --> 00:22:08,420 and that he, 725 00:22:08,579 --> 00:22:09,039 King David, 726 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:09,900 ruled Israel 727 00:22:09,900 --> 00:22:11,519 as God's vice-regent, 728 00:22:12,039 --> 00:22:13,200 a man who served 729 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:14,240 at God's discretion, 730 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:16,259 not by self-appointment. 731 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:18,920 David says in Psalm 103, 732 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:20,920 The Lord has established 733 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:22,039 his throne in heaven 734 00:22:22,039 --> 00:22:23,240 and his kingdom 735 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:24,420 rules over all. 736 00:22:24,599 --> 00:22:24,980 Unquote. 737 00:22:25,299 --> 00:22:26,319 All of our leaders 738 00:22:26,319 --> 00:22:27,180 must understand 739 00:22:27,180 --> 00:22:28,619 this crucial truth. 740 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:29,940 God is king, 741 00:22:30,319 --> 00:22:31,359 not himself. 742 00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:32,519 Thirdly, 743 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:33,819 David let God 744 00:22:33,819 --> 00:22:35,000 open doors to power. 745 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,619 He did not smash down 746 00:22:36,619 --> 00:22:37,920 doors of power himself. 747 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:39,200 Oh, so important 748 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:40,019 to keep in mind. 749 00:22:40,660 --> 00:22:41,559 David let God 750 00:22:41,559 --> 00:22:42,619 open doors to power. 751 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:44,559 David did not smash down 752 00:22:44,559 --> 00:22:46,059 doors of power himself. 753 00:22:46,740 --> 00:22:48,160 And this is in stark contrast 754 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:48,940 to the tyrants 755 00:22:48,940 --> 00:22:49,420 of the earth. 756 00:22:50,019 --> 00:22:51,019 David did not seize 757 00:22:51,019 --> 00:22:51,859 the throne of Israel 758 00:22:51,859 --> 00:22:52,720 for himself 759 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:53,720 in his own timing. 760 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:54,700 Oh, no. 761 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:56,059 On multiple occasions, 762 00:22:56,059 --> 00:22:57,480 he could have killed Saul 763 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,039 and seized the kingdom 764 00:22:59,039 --> 00:22:59,559 and the people 765 00:22:59,559 --> 00:23:00,420 would have applauded it. 766 00:23:00,500 --> 00:23:01,819 But David refused 767 00:23:01,819 --> 00:23:02,740 to slay the Lord's 768 00:23:02,740 --> 00:23:03,660 anointed, as he said, 769 00:23:03,740 --> 00:23:04,579 that is the man God 770 00:23:04,579 --> 00:23:05,480 had placed in power. 771 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:06,900 Only after Saul 772 00:23:06,900 --> 00:23:07,740 had become a party 773 00:23:07,740 --> 00:23:08,640 to his own demise 774 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:09,680 and other forces 775 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:10,539 had removed Saul 776 00:23:10,539 --> 00:23:11,900 did David find himself 777 00:23:11,900 --> 00:23:13,160 presented with that 778 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:14,420 open door to power. 779 00:23:14,819 --> 00:23:15,759 All of our leaders 780 00:23:15,759 --> 00:23:16,900 must have the wisdom 781 00:23:16,900 --> 00:23:17,599 and discretion 782 00:23:17,599 --> 00:23:18,299 and timing 783 00:23:18,299 --> 00:23:18,960 to discern 784 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:19,740 when God 785 00:23:19,740 --> 00:23:20,380 is opening doors 786 00:23:20,380 --> 00:23:21,119 of power to them 787 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:22,680 or whether they 788 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:23,839 are elbowing their way 789 00:23:23,839 --> 00:23:24,480 through those doors 790 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:25,019 in arrogance 791 00:23:25,019 --> 00:23:25,839 and ambition. 792 00:23:25,839 --> 00:23:27,700 Fourthly, 793 00:23:28,220 --> 00:23:29,019 when God did 794 00:23:29,019 --> 00:23:30,119 open a door to power, 795 00:23:30,460 --> 00:23:32,279 David strode through boldly. 796 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:33,680 Keep this in mind as well. 797 00:23:33,779 --> 00:23:34,680 This cause for wisdom 798 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:35,440 went to do one 799 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:36,359 and went to do the other. 800 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:37,839 When God did open 801 00:23:37,839 --> 00:23:38,539 a door to power, 802 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:39,680 David did stride 803 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:41,119 through that door boldly. 804 00:23:41,619 --> 00:23:42,259 And we know 805 00:23:42,259 --> 00:23:43,420 from the historical prophets 806 00:23:43,420 --> 00:23:44,359 that David was no 807 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:45,339 wilting lily. 808 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:46,640 He was no court dandy, 809 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:47,000 was he? 810 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,319 He was a bold man of war 811 00:23:48,319 --> 00:23:49,799 who could take charge. 812 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:50,700 And when the elders 813 00:23:50,700 --> 00:23:51,559 of Israel came to him 814 00:23:51,559 --> 00:23:52,500 to anoint him king 815 00:23:52,500 --> 00:23:53,640 after Saul's death, 816 00:23:54,140 --> 00:23:55,119 David received 817 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:56,039 that anointing 818 00:23:56,039 --> 00:23:57,660 and promptly united Israel 819 00:23:57,660 --> 00:23:58,480 under his leadership 820 00:23:58,480 --> 00:23:59,819 with both persuasion 821 00:23:59,819 --> 00:24:00,619 and force. 822 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:02,960 Our own American history 823 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:04,359 serves us many examples 824 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:05,460 of men like this 825 00:24:05,460 --> 00:24:06,960 with such leadership. 826 00:24:07,140 --> 00:24:07,980 I would submit to you 827 00:24:07,980 --> 00:24:08,660 men like, oh, 828 00:24:08,779 --> 00:24:09,500 George Washington 829 00:24:09,500 --> 00:24:11,200 or Dwight D. Eisenhower 830 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:12,619 or Ronald Reagan 831 00:24:12,619 --> 00:24:13,339 are but a few 832 00:24:13,339 --> 00:24:14,599 men who were bold 833 00:24:14,599 --> 00:24:15,299 when they knew 834 00:24:15,299 --> 00:24:16,240 that they had been chosen. 835 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:17,900 And then lastly, 836 00:24:18,079 --> 00:24:18,460 fifthly, 837 00:24:18,900 --> 00:24:20,480 David ruled wisely 838 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,400 seeking God's counsel. 839 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:23,900 For the most part, 840 00:24:23,900 --> 00:24:25,680 until his later life, 841 00:24:26,079 --> 00:24:27,880 David was a godly ruler 842 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:28,859 seeking counsel 843 00:24:28,859 --> 00:24:29,839 from godly men 844 00:24:29,839 --> 00:24:31,299 and from God's word 845 00:24:31,299 --> 00:24:32,700 and then in earnest 846 00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:33,559 prayer as well. 847 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:34,420 For example, 848 00:24:34,559 --> 00:24:35,440 from Psalm 25, 849 00:24:35,740 --> 00:24:36,680 David pleads for wisdom. 850 00:24:36,819 --> 00:24:37,000 He says, 851 00:24:37,339 --> 00:24:38,180 Show me your ways, 852 00:24:38,259 --> 00:24:38,619 O Lord. 853 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:40,019 Teach me your paths. 854 00:24:40,460 --> 00:24:41,440 Guide me in your truth 855 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:42,460 and teach me. 856 00:24:43,180 --> 00:24:44,140 Oh, David appealed 857 00:24:44,140 --> 00:24:45,079 to God for these things 858 00:24:45,079 --> 00:24:46,339 as he ruled Israel. 859 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,200 David did not forget God 860 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:49,059 once he had achieved 861 00:24:49,059 --> 00:24:49,420 the throne, 862 00:24:49,740 --> 00:24:50,299 but rather, 863 00:24:50,619 --> 00:24:51,839 David ruled in the light 864 00:24:51,839 --> 00:24:52,579 of God's word 865 00:24:52,579 --> 00:24:53,420 and God's ways. 866 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:55,059 Government from top 867 00:24:55,059 --> 00:24:55,819 to bottom needs 868 00:24:55,819 --> 00:24:56,579 to eschew 869 00:24:56,579 --> 00:24:57,900 the godless pagan 870 00:24:57,900 --> 00:24:58,740 world system 871 00:24:58,740 --> 00:24:59,799 now being established 872 00:24:59,799 --> 00:25:01,140 and they need to return 873 00:25:01,140 --> 00:25:01,960 to God's word 874 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:02,619 and ways 875 00:25:02,619 --> 00:25:03,920 under which so many 876 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:04,980 of our early colonies 877 00:25:04,980 --> 00:25:06,740 and our early states 878 00:25:06,740 --> 00:25:07,819 did under their 879 00:25:07,819 --> 00:25:09,200 particular constitutions 880 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:10,079 and then under 881 00:25:10,079 --> 00:25:11,200 our federal constitution 882 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:11,980 once it had been 883 00:25:11,980 --> 00:25:12,940 drafted and passed. 884 00:25:13,380 --> 00:25:14,680 Now we need men 885 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:15,220 and women 886 00:25:15,220 --> 00:25:16,319 who know these things 887 00:25:16,319 --> 00:25:17,240 and practice them, 888 00:25:17,339 --> 00:25:17,779 dear listener. 889 00:25:17,779 --> 00:25:20,720 Now we have contrasted 890 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:22,240 two models for office 891 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:23,279 in these two men, 892 00:25:23,619 --> 00:25:24,640 Saul and David. 893 00:25:25,180 --> 00:25:26,599 The choice is ours 894 00:25:26,599 --> 00:25:27,500 as Americans, 895 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:28,019 dear listener, 896 00:25:28,319 --> 00:25:29,200 whether we will elect 897 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:29,940 more and more 898 00:25:29,940 --> 00:25:31,180 Saul's as we seem 899 00:25:31,180 --> 00:25:31,779 to be doing 900 00:25:31,779 --> 00:25:32,539 for the last few 901 00:25:32,539 --> 00:25:33,640 generations of leadership 902 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,200 or whether we will 903 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:36,000 begin anew 904 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:37,019 to elect men 905 00:25:37,019 --> 00:25:37,720 of the caliber 906 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:39,240 of David to office. 907 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:40,880 Oh, I invite you, 908 00:25:40,940 --> 00:25:41,220 dear listener, 909 00:25:41,299 --> 00:25:41,940 I'll be doing this 910 00:25:41,940 --> 00:25:42,579 all through this 911 00:25:42,579 --> 00:25:43,299 election season. 912 00:25:43,660 --> 00:25:44,200 Pray with me 913 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:45,339 for the reformation 914 00:25:45,339 --> 00:25:46,559 of the American character 915 00:25:46,559 --> 00:25:47,920 and then once 916 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:48,559 that is done, 917 00:25:48,660 --> 00:25:49,539 once we return 918 00:25:49,539 --> 00:25:50,200 to Christ 919 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:51,819 in a wide-ranging 920 00:25:51,819 --> 00:25:53,119 national reformation 921 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:53,779 of character 922 00:25:53,779 --> 00:25:57,339 in believing on Christ 923 00:25:57,339 --> 00:25:58,779 and embracing him 924 00:25:58,779 --> 00:26:00,039 as our only Savior 925 00:26:00,039 --> 00:26:00,660 and God, 926 00:26:00,839 --> 00:26:01,960 then we will see 927 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:03,519 a consequent reformation 928 00:26:03,519 --> 00:26:04,559 of our constitutional 929 00:26:04,559 --> 00:26:05,759 republic as well. 930 00:26:06,700 --> 00:26:07,500 This has been 931 00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:08,480 Pastor David Bass 932 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:09,279 at New Geneva 933 00:26:09,279 --> 00:26:11,279 Orthodox Presbyterian Church. 934 00:26:11,940 --> 00:26:12,759 New Geneva meets 935 00:26:12,759 --> 00:26:13,599 for holy worship 936 00:26:13,599 --> 00:26:14,220 on Sundays. 937 00:26:14,339 --> 00:26:15,299 I urge you to join us. 938 00:26:15,599 --> 00:26:16,500 Some of you have been 939 00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:17,700 hesitating to cross 940 00:26:17,700 --> 00:26:18,380 our threshold. 941 00:26:18,859 --> 00:26:19,660 We need your support. 942 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:20,779 Now is the time 943 00:26:20,779 --> 00:26:21,700 to come and visit us. 944 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:22,599 Come see us. 945 00:26:22,700 --> 00:26:23,859 Come find out who we are 946 00:26:23,859 --> 00:26:25,160 and worship with us. 947 00:26:25,460 --> 00:26:26,640 And we meet for holy worship 948 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:28,119 on Sunday at 10 a.m. 949 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:29,920 at 101 4th Street 950 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:30,779 on the corner 951 00:26:30,779 --> 00:26:31,759 of 4th and Boulevard. 952 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:33,000 For more information, 953 00:26:33,140 --> 00:26:33,759 you can call us 954 00:26:33,759 --> 00:26:36,099 at 523-0196. 955 00:26:36,279 --> 00:26:38,859 That's 523-0196. 956 00:26:38,859 --> 00:26:40,319 We'll be right back to you next time. 957 00:26:40,319 --> 00:26:40,920 a little bit more. 958 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:41,720 at the end of the day 959 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:41,779 of the day. 960 00:26:41,779 --> 00:26:42,500 We'll be right back to you next time.