Jan 20, 2016
The Great Divide
It is interesting to observe the great political division that has occurred among the people today. It seems to be fought out with great intensity within the United States, but the effect seems to be world wide.
The only time in history that I have seen such a parallel was the conflict over slavery which resulted in the U. S. Civil War.
We can see on hindsight that slavery was the cause of the last great division, but can we see the cause of the one we are facing today?
If we look we can. It is again slavery that is causing the problem, but on a higher turn of the spiral. Again we are headed toward another point of tension that will result in conflict. The best case scenario is that the conflict will work it self out in battles on the emotional and mental planes. The worst case is that it will descend into a full fledged physical conflict. Let us hope we have evolved enough as a society that we can resolve the worst of the problems through non-physical conflict.
When we as a civilization advance to the point where this is possible then we shall have indeed move into a new age where the battleground (the Kurukshetra) will see conflict resolved in planes higher than the physical.
It is interesting to reflect back to my early memories of politics back in the Fifties and Sixties. Of course, back then Republicans and Democrats had their disagreements, but being on one side or the other did not raise a red flag with your neighbors families and friends. You weren’t called names or accused of vile things just because your opinion differed from the other guy.
My first wife was a liberal socialist while I was into free market capitalism, yet we never discussed politics. We had lots of conflict in our marriage, but politics wasn’t part of the problem. Back then politics rarely interfered with friendships or family, but today it does.
Today if you go to a party and crash a group talking about a political view and express a different opinion they will look at you like you have leprosy and avoid you like the plague from that point on.
It didn’t used to be that way. We as a people have greatly polarized into two camps that cannot stand each other.
This makes me reflect on several scriptures that have predicted a division. But the division has a purpose and that is to initiate the great gathering of lights.
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matt 13:24-30
The tares that have been sowed among the wheat in our era are concepts that have been incorporated into our system that run contrary to the freedoms guaranteed to our Constitution and threaten a new era of slavery.
Here is Jesus speaking again:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Matt 25:32-33
The sheep are the people who realize that there is a higher intelligence that can guide us if we just go within and listen while the goats are those who merely want to follow their own little wills and desires for immediate satisfaction, even at the expense of others.
Even the Book of Mormon predicts this division:
For the time speedily cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the wicked will he destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be that he must destroy the wicked by fire. II Nephi 30:10
Isaiah speaks of a time when the conflict will be resolved:
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.
Isaiah 29:18-21
Here Isaiah describes the characteristics of those who are on the wrong side of the conflict.
(1) The terrible one. This comes from the Hebrew `ARIYTS which indicates an oppressor or tyrant – one who takes away freedom,
Those on the wrong side will support oppression.
(2) The scorner. This comes from the Hebrew LUWTS which can be translated as to scorn, mock or hold in derision.
It is interesting how much the left today holds in derision harmless people of faith or supporters of the Constitution.
(3) They who watch for iniquity. We really see this happening in the political world today. Now the errors of some (Bill Cosby for example) are so great that we don’t have to watch for them to see them. What this is referring to are those like the critics of Jesus who watch for iniquity with such passion that they would find it even in the Christ. The watchers of iniquity try and destroy the workers in the light by finding small things and claiming they are big evils that must be opposed.
(4) That make a man an offender for a word. Does this describe the politically correct crowd or what? These guys stay awake at night trying to find new words that offend so they can accuse the opposition of being racists and bigots.
Of course, the average person does not want to be called such things so many try to keep up on the latest list of things they are not supposed to say such as Peanut Butter Sandwich, Normal, Pet Owner, Holding Down the Fort, Rule of Thumb, Homeless, Guys, Girls, Black Sheep, Bald, Failure, Handicapped, Midget, and even Christmas is seen with a jaundice eye by many.
(5) Lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate. He who reproves at the gate will teach correct principles for just living that will infuriate those who are against the principle of freedom and opposers will lay snares to create problems for those with whom they disagree.
(6) Turn aside the just for a thing of nought. There are many examples of this today. Perhaps the most obvious one is the negating of many of the just principles espoused in our Constitution for concepts of no value by comparison – or the turning aside freedom for slavery.
Copyright 2016 by J J Dewey
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