Say It Isn't So Governor Palin!

Do we have leaders today who can be counted on to mean yes when they say yes and no when they say no? How about the rest of us? Can you be counted on to mean what you say?

In a strange turn of events; Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin announced that she would not run for another term as governor and that she was stepping down at the end of the month rather than being a lame duck.

What is this all about? Is it some sort of brilliant stroke of political genius, or is it political suicide? For days the news analysts have been debating this from all sides. Both conservative and liberal newscasters have been divided among themselves. And even in Mrs. Palin's own Republican Party there is a mixed opinion.

A number of newscasters believe that Sarah Palin is setting herself up for a run for the presidency in 2012. But if that is true then why resign now and why not say so? The next election is still 3 ½ years away. Some believe she has another job waiting for her—a job as a talk show host perhaps. Still others believe there is a major scandal about to break and she chose to get out. Is she a quitter, after all?

Isn't it amazing that whenever a politician tells us something we immediately start looking for another answer? After all, no politician is going to tell you what he or she is really up to. Is that the case with Governor Palin?

There is a fundamental flaw in our society that is leading us down a very dangerous path. In his book "The Five Thousand Year Leap" W. Cleon Skousen lists the 28 principles that made our country great. Principle # 3 reads: "The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders." By virtuous leaders he means leaders you can trust and believe whenever they tell you something. Consider George Washington, one of our nation's founding fathers.

As he approached the final days of his second and final term as president, George Washington wrote to Alexander Hamilton and shared the pain he felt because of the lies and accusations written about his presidency. He wrote, "It might be expected at the parting scene of my public life that I should take some notice of such virulent abuse. But, as heretofore, I shall pass them over in utter silence; … My politics have been unconcealed;—plain and direct."

Jesus Christ put it this way when instructing His disciples— "But let your yes be yes and your no, no. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37). What if all our politicians lived by this one principle? How different would Governor Palin's announcement be in such a society? The answer remains to be seen. We have to wait and see what Governor Palin will do.

One should also ask if her politics are "unconcealed, plain and direct" as George Washington made claim. Or is there something hidden behind her resignation? Do we have leaders today who can be counted on to mean yes when they say yes and no when they say no? How about the rest of us? Can you be counted on to mean what you say?

What's My Purpose Here?

There must be some meaning to humanity's mixture of awesome abilities and awful atrocities. What is the ultimate purpose and meaning of your life?

by Gary Petty

What would you ask the Supreme Being if you could get a direct and immediate answer? A poll in USA Today reports that the No. 1 question people would like to ask God is "What's my purpose here?"

With all our technology and sophistication we still haven't answered the fundamental question of what is the purpose and value of human life. It seems Henry David Thoreau's observation that most people live lives of "quiet desperation" is all too true.

Where would you even start to discover the purpose for your life? Can you find it in psychological tests or philosophy? Aptitude tests might help you pinpoint your abilities. Personality evaluations could conceivably help you focus on aspects of who you are. But the social sciences can't explain why you live.

The place to begin

The complexity and interdependency of nature around us, the miracle of life itself, reveal a Life Giver, a Creator. Would it make sense that a brilliant Life Giver would create intelligent beings without purpose? "What's my purpose here?" can ultimately be answered only by the Creator of life.

Western society claims to have its roots in Christianity, yet the last place many people search to find purpose in life is the Bible. The Bible reveals a special creation with a special purpose. The first book of
the Bible is Genesis, which simply means "beginning." Here is the Bible's first sentence: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

God then created a unique biological being called man. Genesis 2:7 states, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

Does this mean that man is just another animal, different in form but essentially the same as a chimpanzee or other mammal?

The theory of evolution would lead us to that conclusion, but evolution doesn't explain the obvious differences between humanity and animals. How do we explain the human ability to create music and art, discover and use geometry, develop architecture or invent complex forms of communication?

Instinct and intellect

A slug or a spider is driven entirely by instinctive behavior. The more complex the life-form, the more it can learn. Yet the behaviors of even the supposedly highest forms of animals are primarily instinctive. This isn't true of humanity.

Mortimer J. Adler, in his book Ten Philosophical Mistakes, makes the point that if we compare animals with man "a radical difference appears. In the strict sense of the term instinct, the human species has no instincts—no innate, performed patterns of behavior. We have a small number of innate reflexes, only some of which are congenital. We also have what might be called instinctual drives or impulses. But in carrying these impulses out, members of the human species behave in a wide variety of ways. They do not all manifest a single pattern of behavior, such as we find in all members of a particular species of bee, ant or termite" (1985, p. 31).

This ability to reason and make complex decisions and choose courses of action makes humans infinitely different from any animal. The differences between the quality or quantity of the human brain and the brains of other mammals aren't sufficient to explain the vast differences in function. When it comes to size, some mammals have larger brains than humans' while others have a higher brain-to-body ratio than that of humans.

The difference between other mammals and human beings—the ability to reason, create, communicate emotions, experience love and empathy—are all aspects of what we call the mind.

Adler concludes: "The relation of the sensory powers to the brain and nervous system is such that the degree to which an animal species possesses these powers depends on the size and complexity of its brain and nervous system. This is not the case in regard to the intellectual powers. That the human mind has such powers does not depend upon the size or complexity of the human brain. The action of the brain is only a necessary, but not the sufficient, condition for the functioning of the human mind and for the operations of conceptual thought. We do not think with our brains, even though we cannot think without them" (pp. 52-53).

What is the human mind?

Brain size and biology can't explain humanity's uniqueness. So what creates the differences?

Once again we turn to the Bible. In the creation account we see that God created each animal "according to its kind," but human beings are in the "image" and "likeness" of God (Genesis 1:24-28).

Creativity, positive emotions, logic, love, abstract thought, communication skills—these are aspects of the mind of the Creator. These are ways in which He has created us in His likeness.

Notice what the Bible says in Job 32:8: "But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." One of the biblical prophets, Zechariah, declares that God "forms the spirit of man within him" (Zechariah 12:1).

Mankind and animals are both living "souls," or beings. Both are subject to death, the cessation of life. The difference is that man possesses a nonphysical component called a spirit that imparts individuality, intellect, creativity and personality.

The Bible reveals the mystery science can't solve. We are physical, chemical beings with a nonbiological component—a spirit—a mind that is in a limited way like the mind of the Creator. But, if human beings are like God in so many astonishing ways, why can't we solve our own problems?

An incomplete creation

Why are human beings capable of writing inspiring music and also able to commit terrible crimes against each other? We research into the intricate human body and create medicines that heal, yet we produce nerve gas that kills. We send a rocket to explore outer space but send a missile hundreds or thousands of miles to destroy a city.

If mankind is made in the image of God—who reveals Himself as loving, kind and merciful—why are we so filled with hatred, violence and selfishness? The answers lie in understanding that we are an incomplete creation.

Genesis reveals the root cause of humanity's evil. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were given freedom to choose between their Creator's instruction about life and a way simply called the "knowledge of good and evil." They chose the latter, the knowledge of good and evil.

God told Adam and Eve that once they started on the course of self-determination they would embark on a path that would ultimately lead to death. Evil—what the Bible calls sin—brings about death. History is a story of good and bad, of incredible potential and incredible failure. It is also a story of death. It seems that humanity's destiny is to struggle, suffer and eventually die.

Central to the Christian religion is the belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God who took humanity's death penalty upon Himself. Jesus also came to supply the missing ingredient to make eternal life possible. On the night before His crucifixion Jesus told His disciples He would send them another "Helper" (John 14:15-18).

The apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth about the missing ingredient that keeps humanity from solving its problems: "... We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

"But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:7-11).

Here Paul writes that mankind knows the things of mankind-reason, creativity, mathematics—because of the "spirit of man." This spirit is what makes us have similarities to God and gives us the ability to have a relationship with Him. Paul shows that to really understand the spiritual nature of God we must also receive the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God is the missing ingredient in humanity. Without it human beings become both good and evil, lacking the wisdom to always see and choose the good. Death is the natural result. The death process must be reversed and a new nature developed in us. Peter puts it succinctly when he writes that we must become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

God's purpose for you

Humanity's problems—from agriculture to economics to education to government to family relationships to individual emotional health—are ultimately spiritual in nature. Real solutions require not just a change in environment but a change in people.

Our first parents chose to participate in both good and evil. Not just Adam and Eve, but every human being who has ever lived—except Jesus Christ—has made the same choice. The result is that every human suffers and dies. Jesus came to pay the death penalty for evil. He also came to make available to people the Spirit of God, the healing, missing ingredient that will change corrupt human nature into divine nature.

What is your ultimate destiny? What awaits those who are willing to be changed by God's Spirit from corrupted human nature to become partakers of the divine?

Paul explains in Romans 8:14-17: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by [which] we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit [itself] bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

The purpose of humanity is to become the spiritual children of God! The purpose for your life is more than making money, gaining social status and wearing the right clothes. The coupling of the human spirit with the Spirit of God makes possible the development of a new nature and eventually a resurrection to a new life as immortal children of God, joint heirs with Jesus of all things.

This is the ultimate potential of every human being.

But this isn't just a nebulous promise of something in the far-off future. The Creator says you can enjoy a Father—child relationship with Him now. There are real solutions to your problems. There is hope for those willing to discover their true purpose. The first step on that road of discovery is to turn to the Creator and His instruction book.

The Seventh Commandment: Protect the Marital Relationship

Unless the natural desires that attract us to members of the opposite sex are channeled exclusively toward a loving marriage relationship, the temptation to engage in sexual immorality can easily overpower our self-control. This weakness is the focus of the Seventh Commandment.

"You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).

Men and women were designed to be together, to need each other. Marriage, a natural union of a man and a woman, is divinely ordained, established by God at the creation. His laws—in particular the Seventh Commandment—authorize the marriage relationship and establish it as the foundation of the family, which in turn stands as the foundation and most important building block of society.

God told our first parents that "a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). God's instruction clearly established what all future generations were supposed to learn regarding marriage and sex.

As children grow old enough to shoulder the responsibilities of a family and come to love and honor someone of the opposite sex, it is natural and proper for them to marry—be joined together—and create their own family apart from their parents. Only then should they "become one flesh" by physically uniting in a sexual relationship. Jesus makes it clear that God, from the beginning, intended that marriage be a monogamous and permanent relationship (Matthew 19:3-6).

Blessings with risks

God intended that marriage and sex—in that order—exist as tremendous blessings to humanity. Their potential for good is boundless. But the same desires that bring a man and a woman together into a loving, natural relationship—a godly blessing—can pose risks.

Unless the natural desires that attract us to members of the opposite sex are channeled exclusively toward a loving marriage relationship, the temptation to engage in sexual immorality can easily overpower our self-control. This weakness is the focus of the Seventh Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).

Adultery is the violation of the marriage covenant by willful participation in sexual activity with someone other than one's spouse. Since God's law sanctions sexual relationships only within a legitimate marriage, the command not to commit adultery covers, in principle, all varieties of sexual immorality. No sexual relationship of any sort should occur outside of marriage. That is the message of this commandment.

In much of the world sexual immorality is no longer regarded as a significant social evil. God, however, categorically condemns all forms of sexual immorality (Revelation 21:8).

Our need for sexual direction

God gave us the Seventh Commandment to direct and define the sexual roles that bring lasting happiness and stability. Nothing is more desperately needed in this age.

God created sex. It was His idea. Contrary to some long-held opinions, He wants us to enjoy an abundantly pleasurable and stable sexual relationship within marriage. In that context, our sexuality endows us with the capacity to convey our appreciation, tenderness, devotion and love to our mate. It can add immeasurably to our sense of well-being and contentment.

The joy and confidence we derive from a proper marital relationship can positively affect our interaction with others, especially our own children. God wants the marital relationship strengthened and protected.

He tells us in His Word: "Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:9, New American Standard Bible).

But of adultery God warns: "For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin" (Proverbs 5:20-22).

Again concerning adultery we are warned: "Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent" (Proverbs 6:27-29). "Wounds and dishonor he [the adulterer] will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away" (verse 33).

Are these warnings nothing but unenlightened, outdated rhetoric? Don't believe it! Instead, consider the worldwide havoc wreaked by sex outside of marriage.

Consequences of sexual sin

The social and personal harm brought by sexual immorality is so pervasive that it defies our ability to quantify its toll in human suffering. Most people simply refuse to contemplate its staggering consequences.

Two prevailing views stand out. Some people assert their right to do whatever they please: "Nobody is going to tell me what I can do in my personal life." Others rationalize virtually any kind of behavior: "It doesn't matter what I do so long as no one gets hurt." These arguments are used to justify all sorts of sexual behavior, including promiscuity.

Both views ignore a fundamental reality: People do get hurt—badly hurt. Immorality in any form is ultimately destructive. As the proverb says, "whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own soul" (Proverbs 6:32). Adultery's first casualty is the damage to our mind and character.

Equally damaging is the personal abasement that flows from sexual immorality. It can be denied, but it cannot be avoided. Paul told Christians in the licentiously infamous city of Corinth: "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18). These warnings apply equally to men and women because "God shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34).

Consider the disastrous effects of the sexual revolution. The explosion in sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) is an international disgrace. STDs account for many of the most commonly reported infectious diseases in the world. AIDS alone takes a frightening toll in lives and suffering and rivals the most deadly epidemics in history. Treatments and medical research for cures are expensive. Ironically, all this is avoidable because these diseases are spread almost exclusively through sexual promiscuity or perverted practices.

The decline in commitment to marriage and family and the resulting decrease in spouses' loyalty and devotion to each other have contributed heavily to the steady increase in extramarital liaisons. A growing segment of our society has adopted the practice of casual live-in relationships. Ours is a throwaway society. Intimate personal relationships are routinely discarded.

Children are the big losers in our fast-track society with its touted sexual revolution. They receive less and less parental guidance. In the United States fathers spend an average of only a few minutes per day in one-on-one contact with each child. Is it any wonder that we see a rapidly expanding subculture of alienated and disaffected children? Society is losing sight of what families are all about.

The cost of broken homes

Broken homes are another staggering cost of the sexual revolution. They, in turn, spawn other social tragedies. A majority of the economically disadvantaged live in one-parent homes. Homes headed by a single parent are a leading factor in the incidence of subsequent criminal activity. Broken homes are the main consequence of sexual immorality and shattered marriages resulting from sexual infidelity.

To this we must add devastating legal fees and decreased productivity and income, not to mention the frequent loss of dwellings and personal property. These factors reduce many people to poverty—particularly single mothers with young children. The problem is compounded when some of these children grow up with inadequate job and social skills and remain wards of the welfare system even as adults.

Divorce makes for even deeper personal problems. Custody fights go on for years. Children become pawns in a tug of war between parents for their love and loyalty. Children's grades suffer; some drop out of school. Teenagers in turn become parents at younger and younger ages.

The psychological cost

Long before a divorce, emotional and psychological damage is often inflicted on the mate and children of the sexually unfaithful. Many are permanently scarred from disillusionment, shame and a loss of a sense of self-worth. In these situations, a home can no longer provide the warmth, comfort and security that builds confidence and hope. Lack of hope contributes to suicides, which after accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults. Such tragedies can occur years after the sowing of the seeds of despair.

The psychological cost of betrayal, rejection and abandonment is staggering. The spirit of millions is submerged in anger, depression and bitterness because their trust in one whom they loved—whether mate or parent—has been betrayed. Many of these people are emotionally distorted for life. Some of them seek counseling, but others look for vengeance.

The problems go on and on. Who said no one gets hurt? Adultery and promiscuity are tickets to social disaster. The real cost of sexual immorality is astronomical.

Adultery begins in the mind

The Bible labels humanity's obsession with self-gratification for what it is: lust. "For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:16-17).

Lust is the beginning of adultery and immorality. "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery,'" said Jesus Christ. "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28).

Contrary to the opinions of most people, sexual fantasies are anything but harmless. Our actions originate in our thoughts, in the desires that float through our minds (James 1:14-15). Daydreams of illicit sexual encounters render us especially vulnerable to the real thing. Make no mistake. Opportunities to sin will come. We need to heed Jesus' warning that adultery begins in the heart.

Not all attraction is lust

It is also important that we do not transfer what Jesus said about lust into a context He never intended. Otherwise our view of legitimate attractions that naturally precede courtship and marriage can become grossly distorted.

Throughout the Bible, God approves the legitimate sexual attraction that promotes proper courtship and marriage. After all, those desires are a part of the mental and emotional makeup He created in men and women. Jesus denounced only sinful thoughts and behavior, not the legitimate desire to marry and build a proper relationship with someone of the opposite sex. Nor did He proscribe the acknowledgment of someone of the opposite sex as attractive. He did, however, condemn lust—mentally savoring of an immoral relationship.

We can control sensual desires by replacing them with an unselfish concern for others. Of course, this kind of love is a gift from God, possible as God's Spirit works in us (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22).

Dealing with sexual sins

Thanks to the prevalence of promiscuity, not many people begin serving God with a clean slate, sexually speaking. For us to have a proper relationship with God, it is important that we correctly understand how God views our past.

We must understand that God is merciful. He takes no pleasure in punishing us for sins. He much prefers to help us turn our lives around. He is eager to share eternal life with us in His Kingdom (Luke 12:32). He rejoices when we repent and obey Him—and begin living by His royal law of love (Ezekiel 33:11; James 2:8).

When the woman was caught in adultery and brought before Jesus, He did not condone her sin. But neither did He condemn her. He simply told her, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11). David tells us that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy" (Psalm 103:8). The apostle John explained that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Should we take other steps, then, to alter the course of our behavior? God's Word offers this advice: "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!" (Psalm 119:9-11). People of all ages should heed these words.

Simple regret for what we have done isn't enough. God wants us to diligently study His Word to learn His rules of life. Then, when we sincerely begin turning our lives around, God promises that "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . ." (Isaiah 1:18). Genuine repentance followed by the acceptance of the forgiveness of God is an integral part of our spiritual development.

Stability in marriage

Companionship is one of the greatest blessings we can gain from a stable and loving marriage. God recognized this when he created us. "And the LORD God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him'" (Genesis 2:18).

"Two are better than one, for their partnership yields this advantage: if one falls, the other can help his companion up again; but woe betide the solitary person who when down has no partner to help him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, REB).

Most of us need the support and companionship of a loving spouse. We need someone special who can share our ups and downs, triumphs and failures. No one can fill this role like a mate who shares with us a deep love and commitment.

Society suffers because we have lost the vision that God had for marriage from the beginning. Marriage is not a requirement for success in pleasing God. But it is tremendous blessing to couples who treat each other as God intended. Most people desire and need the benefits that come from a stable marriage.

To return to what God intended, we must give marriage the respect it deserves. We must faithfully obey our Creator's commandment "You shall not commit adultery."

Steve McNair's Undoing

God warns us about letting our desires deceive us.

He was awarded the Walter Payton award in the collegiate ranks. He was an outstanding National Football League quarterback and the heart and soul of the Tennessee Titans. He was active in charity events for his community. And his life ended all too soon at age 36.

Steve McNair was found dead in his leased apartment along with Sahel Kazemi, a young woman twenty years old. What is so shocking is McNair has a wife and family. Despite all of his good deeds as a wonderful athlete, teammate, competitor and football hero, what was he doing with a twenty-year old woman in his apartment? It is reported that he had been dating her for months and she was his girlfriend.

What a tragic end to a magnificent football career and life. And, what a shock to his wife and family to have to grieve the loss of a husband and father whose last act in his life was to be unfaithful to his wife and family.

One internet writer said, "Most of us had one perception of McNair. He was the football warrior who led with brilliant dignity and possessed a threshold for pain that 99 percent of human beings just don't have.
But in the wake of his tragic murder in a downtown Nashville, Tennesse, condo, police there are unraveling a different McNair, one who has left his fans to ponder how well they really knew him.

McNair, a married father of four, was found shot twice in the head and twice in the chest on the 4th of July. Lying dead at McNair's feet was a 20-year-old woman police say he had been dating for several months."

God warns us about letting our desires deceive us. In the Proverbs it is written "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell." (Proverbs 5:3-5)

How sad that such a great player and person should have such an end to his life. Now his wife and family are left with so many unanswered questions and undeserved sadness.

If only Steve McNair had heeded the warning of the Scriptures, he would still be alive; and his family would be spared the terrible consequences and pain to bring closure to their lives. We at GN Magazine offer our condolences to McNair's grieving family and to relatives of Kazemi, the twenty-year-old woman.

Should America Play Ball With Iran?

We were told in a major cover article recently published by Newsweek, a popular American news magazine, that "they may not want the bomb... Iran isn't a dictatorship...[and] Iran may be ready to deal." Are these points basically true? Should the United States negotiate with the present leadership of this wayward nation—regardless of its radical conduct in office?

Was the latest Iranian election really rigged or merely an unfortunate minority outburst of dissatisfaction? The consensus of most impartial observers continues to be that, even if an honest count would have given President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a slight winning margin, the claimed landslide result is a discredited fiction.

According to New Statesman magazine (June 22, 2009), opinion polls showing a strong opponent leading the incumbent Iranian president on the eve of the election suddenly morphed into an overwhelming victory for President Ahmadinejad. The New Statesman article went on to reveal nine other credible reasons why the wide margin of victory was most likely a gross falsification of what really happened.

Iran a pseudodemocracy

One able Iranian commentator observed: "Since its inception in 1979, the Islamic republic has organised 31 elections at different levels. All have been carefully scripted, with candidates pre-approved by the regime and no independent mechanism for oversight" (Amir Taheri, "Iran's Dictator Gives Up Pretence of Democracy," The Sunday Times, June 21, 2009).

As far as this insightful writer is concerned, "On Friday, June 19, the Islamic republic died in Iran." He went on to describe two Irans. "One is prepared to support [Ayatollah] Khamenei's bid to transform the republic into an emirate in the service of the Islamic cause. Then there is a second Iran—one that wishes to cease being a cause and yearns to be an ordinary nation...The fight over Iran's future is only beginning."

One thing is for sure. The so-called results of this election have brought many thousands, if not millions, into the city streets to protest Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection. Severe repression, already resulting in at least 17 deaths and many injured persons, will probably crush this popular protest for the time being and perhaps force it underground. But it won't disappear.

Meanwhile this cruel regime, still claiming landslide support, promises to be even more vehemently forceful than ever in its threats against the state of Israel, Britain and the United States.

Britain to blame?

The head man in Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, employed the usual dictatorial methods in justifying the reelection of President Ahmadinejad. "He tried to deflect blame on Iran's international 'enemies,' notably Britain, which he described as 'the most vicious of all'" ("People Power in Iran Can Carry the Day," The Sunday Times, June 21, 2009, emphasis added throughout).

There are reasons, whether justified or not, for this historic antipathy against Britain. In 1941 (during World War II) the United Kingdom invaded Iran and exiled the reigning Reza Shah, seriously suspected of pro-German attitudes. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was installed in office. Then in 1953 the British assisted in removing Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Iran also deeply disliked the strong British defense of Iranian author Salman Rushdie, sentenced to death in absentia by a fatwah for writing what was considered blasphemy in his novel Satanic Verses.

These historical events serve as background to the current situation. On June 21, 2009, the BBC's chief correspondent was asked to leave the country, allegedly for distorting the Iranian protest movement.

Britain has expelled two Iranian diplomats in response to the expulsion of two British diplomats from Iran. And according to the June 24 lead editorial in The Times, "Iran's belief in Britain as an arch conspirator has small historical warrant and is an absurd depiction of modern international relations."

Presidential tirades against Israel and the West

President Ahmadinejad has acquired a reputation for rambling tirades against the West, particularly the state of Israel. Consider his comment on the Jewish Holocaust: "They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets" ("The Wit and Wisdom of President Ahmadinejad," New Statesman, June 18, 2009).

His observations about Israel and Zionism include: "The Imam [Khomeini] said that this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time" (ibid.). This promotes nothing less than another horrendous Holocaust. As one astute Newsweek reader wrote: "Ahmadinejad has said again and again that he will wipe Israel off the face of the map. Should Israel not take him seriously?" (Letters, June 8, 2009).

Then during a speech at the racism conference held in Geneva, the Iranian president branded Israel the "most cruel and repressive racist regime" (Chip Cummings and Charles Forelle, "Ahmadinejad Calls Israel 'Racist,'" The Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2009). He has adroitly managed to inject this spiritual venom into many of his supporters. Just prior to the recent election Joe Klein reported for Time magazine, "About 20,000 supporters of the President were inside the building [in central Tehran], being entertained by a series of TV stars, athletes and religious singers... Inside a TV host led the crowd in chanting 'Death to Israel.' 'Squeeze your teeth and yell from the bottom of your heart,' he implored" ("Ten Days in Tehran,"— June 29, 2009).

But Israel is not the only state to come under the Iranian president's verbal fire. In an echo of his previous Holocaust denial, "Mr. Ahmadinejad, in his rambling speech Monday, castigated the U.S. and Europe for acting after World War II to make 'an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering'" ("Ahmadinejad Calls Israel 'Racist' in U.N. Rant," The Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2009). He apparently was referring to the Palestinians in the context of the founding of the nation of Israel in 1948, an event that created the first Jewish national homeland in some 2,000 years.

What's behind the rhetoric?

Part of the basic problem may simply consist of pining away for a lost heritage of yesteryear. Recall that the late Saddam Hussein dreamed of becoming another Saladin (A.D. 1138-1193, a Kurdish Muslim who became sultan of both Egypt and Syria)—partially resulting in Hussein's failed attempt to annex Kuwait. Iran's leaders may be bitten by a similar bug.

Anciently Iran was known as Persia—once a sophisticated, powerful and influential civilization with conquerors and potentates like Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes.

Robert Kagan, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, writes in The Return of History and the End of Dreams: "As Ray Takeyh observes, Iran believes that by 'virtue of size and historical achievements,' it has 'the right to emerge as the local hegemon' in the Middle East and Persian Gulf...

"As more than one Iranian leader has made clear, Iran defines and ennobles itself by its willingness to stand up to the United States, the predominant and overbearing superpower, which also happens to be [from their viewpoint] the Great Satan. These passions and ambitions long preceded the Bush administration, as did Iran's conviction that only as a nuclear weapons state could it fend off pressures from the American superpower and its allies" (2008, p. 47).

President Ahmadinejad, and others like him, would like nothing more than to restore the former glory and influence of Persia.

Apparently many in the country speak of themselves not as Iranians, but as Persians. According to the 11th edition of Andrew Boyd's An Atlas of World Affairs, "In Iran's population of 70 million, not much more than half are Farsi-speaking Persians" (2007, p. 146).

Iran obviously wants to exercise complete and total control over the Persian Gulf waters and widen its political, military and economic influence throughout the Middle East. It may see Israel as a threat to its national ambitions of becoming the new regional superpower.

However, obtaining nuclear weapons would constitute a master step toward realizing Iranian national ambitions in the Middle East.

Iran's aggressive quest for nuclear weapons

James Forsyth, in The Spectator magazine, reminds us not to lose sight of "the race to stop Iran from getting the bomb." He tells us that this is really what counts. It outweighs what's now taking place in Iran. "The immediate decision facing President Obama is what to do about Iran's fast-moving nuclear programme" (June 20, 2009).

Later in his article Mr. Forsyth states: "The West faces the question of whether it should do business with him [President Ahmadinejad]." Should the United States even negotiate with a country with Iran's track record? American President George W. Bush labeled this nation as one of the three constituting the "Axis of Evil." Ideally, any nation should never compromise with evil in any form!

Yet the sad truth is that Washington's viable options are very few and narrow. The much-applied sanctions to rogue states don't seem to have helped much, especially when other nations have proven more than willing to cut deals in exchange for Iranian oil. America has apparently already jettisoned the military option (as well as twisting Israel's arm to do the same) and nothing much seems to remain except diplomacy—with Iran mastering stalling tactics to continue its nuclear program without interruption.

Franco Frattini, Italy's foreign minister, was quoted in Newsweek's closing column "The Last Word" as saying, "In a conversation with [Richard] Holbrooke and Hillary Clinton, we decided that I should try to involve Iran at the highest political level below their president" ("Solidarity With America," June 8, 2009). In the end Mr. Frattini apparently did not even visit Tehran, perhaps mainly because "there is an informal agreement that until a final solution on the nuclear dossier is found, no political contacts can be made with the Iranian authorities except by [EU foreign minister] Javier Solana."

Where do we go from here?

So what future really lies ahead in the diplomatic realm? A Times (London) editorial stated that "Mr. Ahmadinejad is not the sort of man to show magnanimity or statesmanship in victory: a more likely reaction is to redouble the provocations abroad, to spurn the US open hand and to offer further threats to Israel in the expectation of a Netanyahu reaction" ("Tehran Spring," June 15, 2009).

In response to the postelection violence and following the lead of other Western leaders, "President Obama condemned Iran's 'iron fist'" ("Barack Obama Strikes Out as Tehran Tightens Its 'Iron Fist,'" The Times, June 24, 2009).

Time magazine columnist Joe Klein in his "Ten Days in Tehran" wrote, "The massive protests have shaken Iran's rulers. But that won't make them any easier to deal with" (June 29, 2009). President Ahmadinejad was once asked about his unusual energy in traveling to all of Iran's provinces. His reply: "My heart is powered by nuclear fuel" (ibid.).

So where does the United States and the Western world go from here? Two booklets will help us understand. The first is The Middle East in Bible Prophecy. Why does the news pouring forth out of this troubled region of the world so often dominate our Western headlines? Why has this area of world geography been a source of conflict, violence and bloodshed for so long? Does Bible prophecy reveal the major events that will happen here in the future? For answers, request or download your free copy of The Middle East in Bible Prophecy at www.wnponline.org.

The second booklet is The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. It will tell you why events don't seem to go as well as they used to for America. It explains the national legacy of these two countries both in history and prophecy. It also tells where they are headed in this unsteady and uncertain world.

You may also wish to consult a past issue of Good News Magazine containing the feature article "Is Iran the New Mideast Superpower?" by Melvin Rhodes (January/February 2009). It can give you the necessary biblical background to better understand the prophetic implications of this current article.

Remember that there is some very good news if we look beyond the bad. To learn more, read our free booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom. Ultimately everything is going to be set right!

Napoleon's Dream of European Conquest

More books have been written on Napoleon than almost any other world leader. His period of glory is still remembered in his capital city of Paris, where the Arc de Triomphe commemorates the First Empire and Les Invalides is his final resting place. But Napoleon's dream of European unity failed as did those of others before him.

At the height of his power, he had 70 million subjects across the continent of Europe. "Not since the ancient Caesars had one man held so much power" (Napoleon, PBS).

He was the emperor of France, but "not a drop of French blood flowed through his veins" (The Book of Knowledge, Vol. V, The Rise and Fall of Napoleon, 1955, p. 318). His wife, the empress, wasn't French either. But 25 years after he died in exile thousands of miles away from France, the French wanted his remains returned to Paris where he was finally laid to rest in a grand mausoleum, Les Invalides.

Two centuries after his reign, Napoleon Bonaparte is remembered as one of the most significant men in history. More books have been written about him than almost any other historical figure.

Born in August 1769 on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, Napoleon as a young man was very anti-French. His home island had been conquered by France only one year before his birth, and he held nothing but contempt for France and its people.

However, his father was employed in French government service and adopted French manners and ways. Consequently, Napoleon was given a free military education in France. He was commissioned second lieutenant of artillery in 1785, just four years before the start of the French Revolution.

On the outbreak of the revolution in July 1789, Napoleon returned to his native Corsica to attempt to organize revolution there. "Coming into conflict with the monarchist faction on the island, he was forced to escape to France, with the rest of his family, in 1793" (ibid).

Napoleon came to prominence when he defended the republican government against a serious royalist uprising in Paris in October 1795. The government rewarded him by appointing him commander of the French army in Italy against the Austrians and their allies.

Two days before his departure for Italy he married Josephine, widow of a French general who had been executed during the terror that followed the revolution. Josephine originally came from the French Caribbean island of Martinique.

Military genius

Italy brought out Napoleon's great military genius and stirred a deep ambition in him. In 1796 he defeated the Sardinians five times in 11 days, forcing a peace on them. He followed this with battles against the Austrians. "He defeated them at Lodi on May 10th, and his bravery was shown when he forced his way across the bridge at Lodi—an exploit that won from his troops the affectionate nickname of 'Little Corporal'" (ibid.).

Following a number of victories over the Austrians, the Habsburgs sued for peace when Napoleon advanced to within 80 miles of the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Next, Bonaparte persuaded the French government to let him invade Egypt, thereby striking a devastating blow against France's traditional enemy, Great Britain, by opening a route to India.

Having taken control of Alexandria, Napoleon then fought the Battle of the Pyramids near Cairo, defeating the elite forces of the Ottoman Empire. The British hit back by sinking the French fleet, and Napoleon was stranded in Egypt, cut off from reinforcements.

After further conflict in Palestine and Egypt, bad news from France reached him, and he secretly left, evading British frigates, and landed in France on Oct. 9, 1799. It wasn't until 1802 that the last French troops in Egypt were defeated by British forces.

Napoleon's short period in Egypt left a lasting legacy throughout the Middle East, where many educated people still choose to speak French and embrace French culture. He also reorganized the legal and administrative systems, a prelude to what he would do later in France itself.

Meanwhile Austria, Russia and England had formed an alliance against France, inflicting a number of serious defeats on French forces. By the time Napoleon arrived, coalition forces had suffered some setbacks.

The main problem confronting him was instability in France itself. On Nov. 9 he joined a plot that overthrew the discredited government and replaced it with a government called the Consulate. Napoleon was the first of three consuls who held the real power. In 1802 he became first consul for life.

"He had now grasped political power and become master of France. His old ambition was realized; but already new ones were forming. He had failed to build up an eastern empire, but now aspired to restore the western one of Charlemagne" (ibid., p. 319).

Church-state connection

With Rome and Charlemagne as his inspiration, Napoleon set about restoring the unity of Europe and beyond. He rapidly annexed Piedmont, Parma and the island of Elba and planned the partition of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire and the foundation of a colonial empire that was to include parts of America, India, Egypt and Australia. He entered into a concordat with the Roman Catholic Church, reestablishing relations that had been broken at the time of the revolution. The concordat gave the French leader the power to nominate bishops.

Once again, the church of Rome was involved in the politics of Europe. The prophecy of Revelation 17:9 was once again proving true with "the woman" (the church) sitting on one of the "seven mountains" (seven great empires) that have been revivals of the Roman Empire.

Justinian was the first revival in the sixth century. Charlemagne was the second, crowned by the pope in 800. Otto the Great and the Holy Roman Empire in the 10th century were the third, and Charles V in the 16th made four. Napoleon was the fifth revival, a thousand years after his role model Charlemagne, showing a continuation of the desire to fulfill the dream of European unity.

On Dec. 2, 1804, following in Charlemagne's footsteps, Napoleon was crowned by the pope. The coronation took place in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Napoleon famously grabbed the crown from the pope and placed it on his own head, either from impatience or to make a point that the state was now over the papacy, reversing the respective roles of the Middle Ages.

At war again

The year before Napoleon's coronation, Great Britain declared war again, ending a one-year peace. Napoleon spent the years 1804 and 1805 planning an invasion of the British Isles that never took place. After suffering a serious naval defeat by the Royal Navy under Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Napoleon knew that he could never again think of invading England. His future conquests would be confined to the continent of Europe.

Several months before Trafalgar, the British, Russians and Austrians had formed an alliance against Napoleon. The French emperor did not wait for them to attack but marched his armies across France into Germany, rapidly conquering territory. He forced one Austrian army to surrender at Ulm, driving the Russians to the east.

In December 1805 he routed the bigger Austrian-Russian forces at Austerlitz. This was one of his greatest victories, and Austria made peace with Napoleon before the month was out.

After the Battle of Austerlitz, the British Prime Minister William Pitt exclaimed: "Roll up that map [of Europe]; it will not be wanted these ten years!" (ibid., p. 322).

"And for almost that period Napoleon changed the map at his will. His stepson Eugene was made viceroy of Italy. His brother Louis received the kingdom of Holland, and another, Joseph, became king first of Naples and then of Spain. General Murat, who had married Napoleon's sister, succeeded to the vacant throne of Naples. The shadowy Holy Roman Empire, an anachronism for many centuries, was dissolved in 1806" (ibid., p. 322).

A new alliance, formed in August 1806 between Britain, Prussia and Russia, led fairly quickly to the defeat of the Prussians and Napoleon's victorious entry into Berlin. Only Britain and Russia remained beyond his control. It wasn't until July 1809 that Napoleon was able to defeat the Russians.

Czar Alexander I sought peace with Napoleon. When they met, his first words to the French leader were: "Sir, I hate the English as much as you do!" Napoleon's reply was: "Then we have made peace!" He took no territory from the czar, but did insist that he join the continental trade blockade of Great Britain.

"At one time or another every state of continental Europe, except Turkey and Portugal, was forced into this commercial system. But all in vain" (ibid.).

At the end of the year, having defeated Austria yet again and entered Vienna, Napoleon focused on his desire for an heir to ensure stability in France and the continuity of his empire. He divorced Josephine, who had been unable to bear him an heir, and married the Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, who gave him a son on March 20, 1811. The son was given the title "king of Rome."

"Paris was the glittering capital, and Rome the second city" (ibid.).

There had been no greater empire since the days of Rome—but it was not to last.

Napoleon's big mistakes

After repeated military successes, Napoleon made two major military blunders during this period as emperor.

Seeing himself as a liberator, Napoleon invaded Spain, but instead aroused nationalist patriotic feelings that led to vicious guerrilla war. When the British came to the aid of the Spanish, the six-year Peninsular War followed (1808-1814). "Napoleon lost interest in this war, and left it to his marshals. For the rest of his career it drained away men and materials, and little by little the French forces were pushed back beyond the Pyrenees" (ibid.).

The year 1812 marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon. Relations with Russia had deteriorated due to popular clamor for the czar to end the blockade against Great Britain. On June 22, Napoleon led an army of 610,000 men into Russia. Only 95,000 returned. Most of those who died were killed by the Russian winter.

Napoleon was unable to force the retreating Russians into a major battle. When he arrived on the outskirts of Moscow, the Russians set fire to the city, reducing 90 percent of it to ashes. One month later, on Oct. 19, his disastrous retreat from Moscow began. Three days later, the French "suffered a sharp defeat at Malo Yaroslavetz. Panic set in and the retreat soon became a disorderly flight, in which Napoleon lost his army. The crossing of the River Beresina was especially disastrous" (ibid.).

Napoleon's great military career was largely over. Although he had a few more minor victories, he also suffered great defeats as the various nations of Europe regrouped and formed an effective alliance against him. "Russians, Prussians, Austrians and Swedes closed on Napoleon, and in the four-day 'Battle of the Nations' at Leipzig (October 16-19, 1813) he was decisively defeated. He withdrew his remaining forces to France" (ibid.).

On the first day of the new year, allied forces entered France. Battles ensued all over the country. Allied forces entered Paris on March 31 and Napoleon was forced to abdicate 11 days later. He was allowed to retain the title emperor, reigning over the small island of Elba. The French restored the Bourbon monarchy, which remained largely unpopular until its final overthrow in 1830.

Napoleon wasn't finished, though. Many Frenchmen wanted his return. In March 1815 he slipped quietly away from Elba and landed in France. An army rallied to his support and for "One Hundred Days" he enjoyed the return of his former glory. He was finally defeated in Belgium at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Exiled to the British island colony of St. Helena, 1,200 miles off the west coast of Africa, Napoleon died six years later.

Napoleon's attempt at reviving the Roman Empire was not nearly as long-lasting as some of the other revivals. There would be a century of "Pax Britannica" before any further attempt would be made to unify Europe.

Freedom Fourth

As America celebrates the Fourth of July this year, it is good to recall the divine reasons for the emergence of America from the mists of history.

It is among the most remarkable coincidences in history. It was called a "visible and palpable" manifestation of "Divine favor." Fifty years to the day from the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the two most intimately connected with this document of freedom, died within hours of each other.

In Quincy, Massachusetts, Adams' heart stopped at just past six in the evening. A thunderstorm had sprung up, and as the second U.S. president drew his last breath, "There was a final clap of thunder that shook the house, the rain stopped and the last sun of the day broke through dark, low hanging clouds—'bursting forth...with uncommon splendor at the moment of his exit'" (David McCullough, John Adams, 2001, p. 647). Through the prophet Daniel, God said He places and removes rulers of nations. We might wonder if God orchestrated the exit from life of these two giants of American history.

Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration and Adams was its prime advocate on the floor of Congress. Its words speak a fundamental message of human freedom. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." Those words continue to stir powerful emotions among people who are yet to experience freedom from fear, from injustice and the tyranny of evil.

What is often overlooked in the details of today's world events is the desire of people to be free. Freedom is indeed a gift from God. We humans are "hard-wired" with the desire. But when freedom comes it carries great opportunity and responsibility. God, the author of true freedom, also shows us the obligations and responsibilities that come with freedom.

As America celebrates the Fourth of July this year, it is good to recall the divine reasons for the emergence of America from the mists of history. And even though America has not restored freedom to the entire earth—only God's Kingdom will do that—it may well be a type of the time to come when we'll see the restoration of all things.