Hi Friend,
Several years ago, a watchdog group in Washington claimed that at least forty-two sitting members of Congress had either been convicted or were under investigation for some significant wrongdoing. That was eight percent of the population of Congress, meaning Congress had a higher percentage of criminals than most bad neighborhoods. At that time Congress qualified as one of the worst neighborhoods in the country. It’s worse today. Maybe that’s why they have metal detectors at the door.
A separate group released another report showing there was an astonishingly large number of wife-beaters, drunks, shoplifters, check-bouncers, business failures, and drug abusers as members of the U.S. House and Senate—which ought to make Americans think carefully before turning to Washington, DC for moral leadership. The report went on to say, “From wife-beaters to drunk drivers, Congress is a crime wave.”
Mark Twain once said, “Congress may be America’s only distinct criminal class.”
In the late 90’s a remarkable number of U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators had spent as much time in a jail cell as on Capitol Hill. Public records, newspaper articles, civil court transcripts, and criminal records revealed that:
* 29 members of Congress had been accused of spousal abuse.
* 7 had been arrested for fraud.
* 19 had been accused of writing bad checks.
* 117 had bankrupted at least two businesses.
* 3 had been arrested for assault.
* 71 had credit reports so bad they couldn’t qualify for a credit card.
* 14 had been arrested on drug-related charges.
* 8 had been arrested for shoplifting.
* 21 were current defendants in lawsuits.
* And in 1998 alone, 84 were stopped for drunk driving, but released after they claimed Congressional immunity.
If this is depressing, consider that America is one of the best places in the world to live. What would it be like to live in a dictatorship, or under the yoke of communism? Cuban citizens who spoke out against Castro spent the rest of their lives in prison. Stalin murdered more than 20 million of his own citizens simply for expressing an opinion that disagreed with his. And there are historians who believe that Hitler was not as ruthless as Stalin.
Prior to World War II an attractive female reporter from Britain landed an interview with Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy. Alone with him in his office, she asked questions that angered him so much that he attacked her. Soldiers standing guard outside the door heard her screams but never intervened to prevent the rape.
The world has long suffered under despotic rulers and criminal leaders, which is why tomorrow is such an important celebration. The Feast of Trumpets is the celebration of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth, a concept almost forgotten by traditional churches. The writer C.S. Lewis wondered why the Church has overlooked the central theme of the New Testament—the return of Jesus Christ.
On the Day of Pentecost when Jesus was taken up into the heavens, two angels appeared and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11).
The Bible teaches that when Jesus Christ returns, he will take the reins of power and rule the earth. The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
What will it be like to have a perfect King? The world simply has never had a powerful national leader who was not flawed—whose decisions are unbiased, cannot be purchased with money, who is rational in all his decisions, and uses his power to serve citizens. The Feast of Trumpets pictures that day.
Join us in person or online at http://www.cogcincinnati.org/Streaming Saturday, September 19th, at 10:30 AM EDT to celebrate the election that matters.
Until next time,
Jim O’Brien