Chanukah's Lesson About America in 2020, for 2021

 

Chanukah's lesson about America in 2020

It's actually about fighting and winning a "culture" war against impossible odds.

History is full of seemingly hopeless situations that were overcome by people who refused to give up. If you do your part, God will do His.

December 14, 2020

Since the November elections we have never seen so much despondency and despair. We're hearing from so many people who say they are depressed, see no way out, and are just giving up.

And, yes, things are looking worse than ever before.

Radicals running state and local governments. Massive election fraud. The Constitution openly ignored. Businesses across America forced into bankruptcy by government edict. The courts ignoring the rule of law. People being fired from their jobs for having the wrong political opinions. Left-wing violence openly allowed, but pro-family protest suppressed. Antifa and Black Lives Matter mobs allowed to take over areas of cities. The media's aggressive jihad against the truth. The homosexual and transgender movements celebrated in federal agencies. Religious beliefs suppressed and even punished in businesses, government, and public schools. The massive deficit. The "opposition" Republican leadership in Congress with no backbone or will to fight back. The looming oppression of all conservatives. And on and on.

"It's finished. America's done. I'm giving up." We're hearing that everywhere. People are feeling beaten and completely powerless.

At MassResistance we refuse to see things that way. We must continue to resist these evils!

Chanukah — now more relevant than ever

Today is the 5th day of the 8-day Jewish holiday Chanukah. Most people (and sadly, most Jews) see Chanukah as sort of a Jewish version of Christmas. They don't really understand what it's about and what it teaches us. It celebrates something very important about man and God.

Chanukah is in fact relevant to what we're going through right now. It's about struggling against and ultimately winning — with God's help — a seemingly unwinnable culture war against oppressive government and institutions that are thoroughly dominated by pagan and godless forces determined to permanently change society.

Complete oppression

In the second century B.C., the powerful Syrian empire took over Israel. By around 170 B.C., they were ruthlessly forcing paganism and secularism on the country and banning traditional religious practice.

It got worse and worse. Pagan holidays, customs, and religious practices were harshly imposed on the citizens of Israel. Statues of pagan gods were erected throughout the country. People were required to bow down to idols and make sacrifices to them. If they refused, they were tortured and killed. Yet this aggression was supported by many Israelites who welcomed the “modern” changes. (Does this sound familiar?)

It came to a point where no public acknowledgement of God was allowed anywhere. Sabbath observance, study of the Bible, and other Jewish customs and rituals were completely banned. Bibles were destroyed where found.

Sadly, many Jews continued to embrace the pagan customs and willingly abandoned God. And most religious Jews simply complied and offered no resistance. (Does this sound familiar?) As a result, the anti-religious oppression continued unimpeded.

The battle

Finally, a small band of unyielding believers had had enough. Known as the Maccabees (from the Hebrew word for "hammer"), they revolted in their village and then fled into the hills. They formed a resistance movement, and gathered a guerrilla army to win back their country. Such a feat was considered impossible against the powerful Syrian empire controlling the country. But the Maccabees fought on.

They refused to give up. Their guerrilla encounters became bolder and bolder. Many Israelites joined them, resulting in incredible successes against the Syrian forces. It was shocking. They had victory after victory. Within three years, they drove out the Syrians and took back their country. With God's help, they finally won!

Chanukah means "dedication"

And they brought God back to Israel. Almost immediately, the Maccabees came into Jerusalem to clean out and re-purify the Great Temple, which had been turned into a pagan shrine where pigs were being sacrificed.

But as they re-dedicated the Temple, they found only a one-day supply of holy oil to light the sacred lamps. That one-day supply miraculously lasted eight days - until more holy oil could be made. From that miracle, an eight-day celebration of Chanukah (which means "dedication" in Hebrew) has continued ever since.

Fighting the culture war. Rabbi Moshe Lieberman lights Chanukah menorah on the public green in Newton, Mass., one of the most left-wing cities in the state, as members of his congregation look on.

Taking back your country

Thus, the holiday of Chanukah is actually about fighting and winning a war against oppressive and vicious state-forced paganism, and overcoming near-impossible odds.

This ought to be an annual lesson for us. Even though the forces ruling us want to drastically change society and replace God in our lives with the secular State and ever more ruthlessly impose Godless secularism on us throughout society, do not give up. The battle is not lost. Seemingly impossible circumstances can and will be overcome with God's help.

That is God’s message to all of us. But you must be willing to fight back. If the Maccabees hadn't stepped up, what would have happened?

Nothing is impossible

History is full of seemingly hopeless situations that were overcome by people who refused to give up. The American Revolution is a good example. And more recently, the world saw how a few revolts by determined people spread and ultimately brought down the vast Soviet empire, which at that time no one thought was possible.

But we must be willing to take action

Finally, we believe there's yet another message to Chanukah. You can't sit on the sidelines. It's necessary for people to leave their comfort zones and take action, if victory is to come.

Lately, many people have been saying that they've decided to fight this battle by just praying and fasting. Well, praying and fasting are good things. But the message of Chanukah is, that is not enough. People must join the fight.

It's the universal lesson about fighting against seemingly hopeless odds: If you do your part, God will do His.

Here at MassResistance we have lots of plans for 2021.

America isn't over yet!

   

Please help us continue to do our uncompromising work!

Our successes depend on people like you.

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Convicted for Doing Nothing Wrong, Sentenced for No Reason, Yet Still Joyful with No Regrets

(The use of this cartoon will make sense very soon)

So, on October 25. 2018, I was found guilty in a court of law for ... sitting in a city council meeting.

The prosecutor lied to the jury.

The judge suppressed evidence.

Of the eleven witnesses I had lined up to testify, only two were permitted to testify. What gives?

The jury had no idea what was going on. They just went along with the basic principle that if a cop tells you to do something, you just have to do it. Really? What if he wanted to take my money. Am I then obliged to turn over the cash?

I was found guilty ... of sitting in a city council meeting. Officially, I was convicted of two counts of California Penal Code section 148a1, "resisting arrest" or "failure to follow the lawful order of a police officer."

I contend to this day that the order for me to be removed from the Huntington Park City Council chamber was an unlawful order. I was called out of order for no reason, and then someone in the audience blurted out, lied to the city council elected officials, and they in turn went along with the lie just to have me removed.

I refused to leave. They had no right.

What's done is done.

I left the court house that Thursday afternoon, puzzled that this had happened. "How could I be found guilty for sitting in a city council meeting?"

A number of my friends from We the People Rising joined me at the court hearing. They witnessed three bailiffs stand in the courtroom when the verdict was announced, and then I stood up to hear the verdict.

"On count One ... Guilty!"

"On count Two ... Guilty!"

I was just shocked, puzzled, but no tears, no screaming or yelling. The court officers were preparing for the worst, but the worst did not happen--at least in my emotions.

I left the court room, since sentencing was postponed until Tuesday, the next week. My attorney took the heat so that I could go to a work event in Texas over the weekend. I was not going to stop living my life just because someone declared me guilty on the most flimsy of premises.

That evening, I went out to eat with the friends who had come with me. I didn't really let anything hit me yet. Just like when you find out that someone close to you has died, the full pain of this loss does not hit you right away. You don't realize what the loss is going to look like until the memories start rolling in, and then the realization that the person with whom you shared those memories is now gone forever.

That night, I went home. I went home, and I was just overwhelmed with grief as soon as I entered my home.

I cried for an hour that night. I could not believed that this was happening to me.

How could this happen to me? How could this be allowed to happen? Lord Jesus, I had prayed for your favor, I asked for your grace to get me out of this, to ensure an acquittal, to stand up to the abuses of the corrupt city council, the police, the system.

And yet ... this?! WHY?

I had never cried so hard. It hurt my lungs, I was in such grief. With all of this cascading over me, I called the first I could think of ... my employer Brian Camenker. He had been through this whole trial with me. I have never had so great an employer as Brian, and a better career than working for MassResistance.

He was with me as I cried out in pain. It was such a devastating loss. He shared with me similar challenges, pains, losses that he had faced in his life. He also talked about the overcoming spirit that he and his own father had demonstrated many times over.

Brian shared with me part of an elegant quote from President Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Yes, I had been in the arena. I had welcomed victories, and I was not bracing a defeat. 

The anxiety I felt was great, too. Had I been mistaken this whole time? Did I miss God? Did I get this all wrong or something?

I was panicking somewhat at this point, too. Was I all alone in this world? Since God did not rescue me from a guilty verdict, was He someone whom I could not trust for anything now? Those doubts were the most crushing, and were certainly the deepest reasons for my despair.

I ended up calling two other people, friends of mine who had joined me at the courthouse that afternoon, and ate dinner with me that evening. One of them said "It will be OK, buddy." Another one admitted to me his own run-in with the law, and how the event brought him to his knees to ask Jesus Christ to be His Savior.

Quite a powerful, yet quiet admission that this man had made to me. I realized that I had to come to God directly with this. I had to not run from Him, or act as if He was not there for me. I needed to rest and recognize "There is a reason for this."

I went to my event in Texas. It was so hard not to focus on "The Sentencing!"

But then I began to return to the gift of righteousness which we receive (and keep receiving!) because of Christ Jesus (Romans 5:17).

No matter what is happening, no matter whether I understand what God is doing, or not doing, I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). At no time could I doubt or wonder whether God was for me. Truth be told, however, I could not understand what was going on.

That recognition of my righteousness in Him--apart from works, from feelings, from circumstances--began to ease my heart and soul.

The sentencing was going to be interesting, that was for certain. More to come.

Trump Supporter: Observations on Kate Steinle Trial

Dear Friends,

The Steinle murder trial verdict has been a very big shock for me and I know it has been to many activists, and perhaps it was for you also.

I'm wondering if the verdict wasn't a shock for those that are highly seasoned political watchers who better understand life and attitudes in the San Francisco area.

From what I have gathered in the news, it seems, the Steinle family was  actually a bit lukewarm on ending sanctuary cities and building a southern border wall. 

 

The Steinle family has a right to their views, and I truly appreciate that everyone needs to deal with the death / murder of a family member in their own way.  

Perhaps the Steinle family didn't appreciate being thrusted into this national debate of sanctuary cities and illegal immigration, but unfortunately bad luck chose them.

I didn't follow the Steinle family closely, but since I follow immigration news closely I have grazed upon some of  their statements.

Reported in this SF Chronicle article: http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/Exclusive-Kate-Steinle-s-family-speaks-12396710.php

The Steinles have a decidedly nuanced view on sanctuary cities. They support the concept (of sanctuary law) as a way to encourage immigrants, regardless of legal status, to come forward as victims or witnesses to crimes without fear of deportation. Yet they believe San Francisco went too far when then-Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi effectively ordered his department to cut off communication with federal immigration authorities.

Earlier in 2015 Kate's Brother Brad gave an interview, stating that Donald Trump was "sensationalizing sister's death", and that:  "Steinle called Trump's immigration policies -- which include building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, "not rational" and "not common sense."

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/14/politics/donald-trump-kate-steinle-san-francisco/index.html

I really don't want to criticize the Steinle family, they didn't choose their life to follow this course.  Perhaps they were once enthusiastic liberal Democrats who had little to no interest in the topic of illegal immigration, and now because of what has happened their view's on illegal immigration are a bit more "nuanced".  

Everyone has a right to handle personal tragedy in their own way, and I respect that.

I am still angered by the Jury's decision, but I am comforted by the fact that their decision will wake many people up, and this will ultimately strengthen our cause.

Regards,

Greg Aprahamian