The Baal of Today, Government

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Many followers of Yahweh, in bygone ages, chose to bow down to Yahweh and another god, whose name was Baal (bah’- al). They might have concluded that if one God is good then two must be better. For many deceived and covetous good Christians, this is also true today. Many deceived and covetous good Christians bow down to Yahweh for their next life but for their present life they bow down to 'Government' (Baal) from whom they seek life's necessities, such as health, food, protection and pleasures. They would never personally call Government their, 'God,' (Baal) but when a need arises, who do they look to, to supply their need; who do they empower with their vote? Yahweh? Government? or Both? The prophet Elijah addressed this same problem when he spoke to the children of Israel by saying, "How long are ye limping on the two divided opinions? If, Yahweh, be El [GOD], follow, him, but, if, Baal, follow, him" (1 Kg. 18:21). The first commandment is, "Thou shalt not have other gods, besides me" (Ex. 20:3). Yahweh is a Jealous El, demanding our total affection, while our adversary, adorned with the mask of Government, displaying himself as a benevolent Provider, has stepped into our lives, courting our affections away from Yahweh unto himself. Thus is the grand story of mankind; the story of the deceiver (the murderer), vying  to steal away our adoration from our Creator, Adonai Yahweh, for himself, so that we can, in the long run, also partake of his demise. Are there two God's? Yes! the god of this age, presently wearing the mask of evil Government and Adonai Yahweh of Hosts, who says, "For, all the gods of the peoples, are things of nought—But, Yahweh, made, the heavens" (Ps. 96:5).   

This article's purpose is to wake up good Christians, who are covetous or have been deceived or tempted into relying on Government rather than Yahweh; to turn them back to the first commandment, in order to be well-pleasing to Yahweh, their Creator and Christ, their Master. This article is not for compromising Christians, who will continue to rely upon Baal (Government) and Yahweh, neither is it for Yahweh rejecters, who choose only Government, the arm of man, as their god.   

Governments can be good, wicked and a mixture of both. Governments who submit themselves under Yahweh are good and well-pleasing in the eyes of Yahweh, as was David's kingdom. Governments who ban Yahweh are wicked, as was the Assyrian kingdom of Sennacherib. Governments that partially banned Yahweh are a mixture of both good and evil but the partial banning is just the beginning of the banishment of Yahweh, as did the kingdom of Israel and eventually Judah. In this article, when I say, 'Government,' with a capital G, I am meaning a cohort of wicked men and women, though one will be the figure head, such as Nimrod, Nero, Lenin, Castro and even Obama. These individuals, along with the masses they represent, do not submit themselves to Yahweh, even though they proclaim that they do; you know a tree by its fruit and not by its label. These institutions are a god unto themselves. A god could be called, one from whom one petitions food, shelter, clothing, etc.; one whom one will bow down to, if necessary, to have their needs met. Bowing down to this god could be as easy as being silent when the god breaks Yahweh's commandments, such as making sodomy legal. One becomes silent before Government in order that the god does not become displeased with them, withholding their promised provisions. For example, in the book of Revelation, one must take the mark of the beast in order to buy or sell provisions. The Democratic party of the United States, headed by President Obama, has made sodomy part of their platform, as have many other Governments. Compromising Christians have voted for these leaders, overlooking their wickedness, in order that they may receive their promised provisions. Many Christians, like the Israelites, have chosen to serve Yahweh and Baal (Government). Let us not forget the solemn warning and promise given by Yahweh in Jeremiah 17:5-8; "Thus, saith Yahweh, Accursed, is the man—Who trusteth in a son of earth, And hath made flesh, his arm,—And whose heart, from Yahweh, turneth aside. Therefore shall he become as a shrub in the waste plain, Neither shall he perceive, when good cometh,—But shall inhabit, Parched places in a wilderness, A land of salt that cannot be dwelt in. Blessed, is the man, Who trusteth in Yahweh, To whom Yahweh is his ground of confidence; For he shall become like a tree planted by waters, And, by a stream, shall he send out his roots, Neither shall he perceive when heat cometh, But his leaf shall continue green: Even, in a year of dearth, shall he not be anxious, Neither shall he cease from bearing fruit."

Yahweh has creative powers to meet all of ones needs, while Government confiscates other people's property in order to meet the needs of its worshippers. Government's power is in decreeing laws that allow it to confiscate the property of others. This was exhibited in a grand scale by Lenin, when the Communist party confiscated, from the people, all of the property of Russia. This is done in a smaller scale when Government officials impose a tax on certain individuals, while exempting others from this tax. For example, in the United States, wicked Congressmen have agreed to confiscate half of one's property upon death but this is only done to certain people, exempting the masses. The Government can then act as a god by distributing this confiscated property to its worshippers, as did Jezebel.   

Jezebel as Baal (Government)
We must always remember, as a general rule, Government can only give what it takes from others. For example, if I want the Government to pay my hospital bill, then it must take the money from another person in order to do so. Ahab, the king of Israel, desired a plot of ground for a garden. The owner of this ground was Naboth. Naboth would not sell his land to Ahab, resulting in Ahab going home sullen and disturbed. Jezebel, his wife, who, for our example, will take on the role of Government, asked Ahab why he was disturbed. He explained his disappointment to Jezebel, which put her into action. Jezebel his wife said unto him: "Art, thou, still, going to carry on the kingdom over Israel? Rise! eat food, and let thy heart be merry, I, will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite! So she wrote letters, in the name of Ahab, and sealed them with his signet-ring,—and sent the letters unto the elders, and unto the nobles who were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. Now she wrote in the letters, saying,—Proclaim ye a fast, and cause Naboth to sit at the head of the people; then let two reckless men take their seats before him, that they may bear witness against him, saying, Thou hast reviled God and king! then shall ye carry him forth and stone him, that he die. So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did just as Jezebel had sent unto them,—as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them: they proclaimed a fast,—and caused Naboth to sit at the head of the people. Then came in the two reckless men, and sat before him, and the men bare witness against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, Naboth hath reviled God and king! So they carried him forth, outside the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then sent they unto Jezebel, saying,—Naboth is stoned and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said unto Ahab—Rise! take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for silver, for Naboth is not alive, but dead! And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab arose, to go down unto the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession thereof" (1 Kgs. 21:7-16). The words that roll off of Jezebel's lips are, "I, will give thee..." These words are the deceiver's allure. The slanderer proclaimed to Yahoshua in Matthew 4:9, "All these things, will I give thee..." Government also proclaims, "I will give thee...but you first must empower me by your vote. What all three accounts have in common is that they do not possess the goods that they have promised but they must confiscate them some a third party, thereby breaking the eighth commandment, " Thou shalt not steal" (Ex. 20:15).

Ahab did not physically murderer Naboth but Yahweh held him accountable for murder. Jezebel became his Baal, by providing him with his coveted garden. He closed his eyes to the fact that Naboth was murdered and maybe he never wanted to know how Jezebel got his garden. He had his garden and that pleased him. A great many Christians, as Ahab, empower Government, by their vote, to legally take property from others, by raising their taxes, in order that that tax revenue be given to them. They also do not want to know who the property was taken from, feeling that if they keep their eyes closed to this information, as Ahab did, then they will be absolved from any judgment issuing forth from Yahweh. They do not ask, as a righteousness person would, "Where did this money come from," but rather they are like people who purchase stolen merchandise at a very low price, not wanting to know who it was stolen from. 

Covetous
Yahweh, in the tenth commandment, proclaims, "Thou shalt not covet [hamad], thy neighbour’s house,—thou shalt not covet, thy neighbour’s wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything which belongeth unto thy neighbour" (Ex. 20:17). There are three ways to acquire your neighbor's property; purchase it with his permission; steal it or have a Government confiscate by unjust laws. Covet is the Hebrew word, 'hamad,' whose meaning can be positive and negative.  In Genesis 2:9 it is used positively; "And Yahweh Elohim, caused to spring up, out of the ground, every tree pleasant [hamad] to the sight and good for food..." When used negatively, it  refers to an ‘inordinate, ungoverned, selfish desire,’ as shown in Genesis 3:6; "And, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable [hamad] to the eyes..." Here again we have the serpent (Baal) using what Yahweh had created to entice Eve; "Because, all that is in the world—the coveting of the flesh, the coveting of the eyes, and the vain grandeur of life—is not of the Father, but is, of the world" (1 Jn. 2:16). We have been commanded in Colossians 3:5, "Make dead, therefore, your members that are on the earth—as regardeth fornication, impurity, passion, base coveting, and greed, the which, is idolatry, On account of which things cometh the anger of Yahweh." Idolatry, the worshiping of false gods, is connected to base coveting and greed.

Idolatry
I believe, base coveting and greed, which is idolatry is the main reason that good Christians allow Government to be a Baal in their lives. They want money, which they have not earned, to be given to them, not asking Government where it comes from or from whom it was extracted. They might deceive themselves into believing that Yahweh promises them a good life in heaven while Baal (Government) promises them a good life on earth, extracting wealth from others to give to them; enslaving others to supply their food and shelter. In other words, to fulfill their base coveting and greed. Yahweh, as a heavenly God, relieves them of fears of death by promising them a life that is age-abiding while Baal (Government), as a earthy god, relieves them of any earthly fears, such as food and shelter. Government proclaims, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your god. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you..." (Is. 41:10). The adversary feeds upon our fears and our unrighteous covetings by presenting us with a substitute 'god,' a god who does not demand one to live a righteous life, as Yahweh does. Yahweh can withhold rain from crops when people are living in unrighteousness, while Baal (Government) will give you money to drill a well to water your crops, bypassing Yahweh. Yahweh says, "If a man will not work, neither shall he eat," but the Government will feed you even if you refuse to work, as long as you empower it with your vote, voting for those who will enact unrighteousness in your behalf. 

Gods are jealous, whether the God is Yahweh or the god is Communism, Socialism or some other form of government. Communism is a jealous god, meaning it can not co-exist with Yahweh, so the Bible is banned material. Churches can exist as long as they pay homage to Government and Government only; they can only speak good things of the Government and never against it. In many countries, Governments make it illegal for pastors to condemn homosexual behavior, calling it 'hate speech.' The name of Jesus is being removed from pastors and chaplains speech if they are speaking in a Government assembly. Many Christians become silent on these matters because they voted for these rulers, who have enacted such laws, exchanging heavenly things for the things of this world. Paul wrote, "For, many, are walking—of whom I have often been telling you, and, now, even weeping, am telling,—the enemies of the cross of the Christ; Whose, end, is destruction, whose, God, is the belly, and whose, glory, is in their shame, who, upon the earthly things, are resolved. For, our citizenship, in the heavens, hath its rise; wherefore, a Saviour also, do we ardently await,—The Lord Yahoshua Christ" (Phil. 2:18-20).  

Baal (Government Leaders) as 'God'
Baal, 'Government,' will promise to meet one's needs as long as you submit to his  demands. King Sennacherib, an Assyrian king, had Jerusalem surrounded in the days of Hezekiah. He spoke to the followers of Yahweh, "saying—Let not thy God [Yahweh] in whom thou art trusting beguile thee... (2 Kg. 19:10). He promised them, "Do not hearken unto Hezekiah,—for, thus, saith the king of Assyria, [your new God] Deal with me thankfully, and come out unto me, then shall ye eat—every one of his own vine, and every one of his own fig-tree, and drink every one the waters of his own cistern; Until I come and take you, into a land like your own land—A land of corn and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and honey, so shall ye live, and not die,—But do not hearken unto Hezekiah, for he would persuade you, saying, Yahweh, will deliver us! Have, the gods of the nations, at all delivered, any one of them, his country, out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath, and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Yea, did they deliver Samaria out of my hand? Who are they, among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country, out of my hand,—that, Yahweh, should deliver, Jerusalem, out of my hand?" (2 Kg. 18:31-35)! Does this remind you of Yahoshua's temptation in the wilderness; "Again, the adversary taketh him with him, into an exceeding high mountain,—and pointeth out to him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and said to him, All these things, will I give thee,—if thou wilt fall down and worship me," but Yahoshua replied, "...Withdraw, Satan! for it is written,—Yahweh thy God, shalt thou worship, and, to him alone, render divine service" (Mt. 4:8-10). Baal (Government), in the courtship and honeymoon stages, presents itself as a benevolent provider, only interested in meeting ones needs but in the end, it becomes a hard taskmaster, enslaving the ones who have submitted themselves to it's rule.  

King Nebuchadnezzar was a servant of Yahweh and an enemy of Yahweh. As an enemy of Yahweh, who clothed himself with the mantle of a god, the advisers of Nebuchadnezzar had a golden image constructed to honor Nebuchadnezzar, which his subjects were to bow to, refusing to do so resulted in one being thrown into the fiery furnace. (Isn't our adversary clever because he reversed Yahweh's justice by having the righteous thrown into the fire while Yahweh will have the unrighteous, which includes the adversary, thrown into the Lake of Fire.)  The presence of the adversary in Nebuchadnezzar's Government advisers is very apparent because Yahweh's servants were thrown into the fiery furnace because they refused to break Yahweh's first commandment. Lenin, Stalin and Saddam Hussein are examples of Government leaders, who had statues made of themselves, who also murdered those who would only bow down to Yahweh.

The Government, as Baal, benevolent provider and protector, is unveiled in a grand scale in the book of Revelation.  The wild beast is a Government official, who has been empowered with the power of the dragon and who has a false prophet performing signs and wonders before him, as recorded in Revelation 13:11-16;  "And I saw another wild-beast, coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns, like unto a lamb, and began speaking as a dragon. And, all the authority of the first wild-beast, he useth before him; and causeth the earth, and them who, therein, are dwelling, that they shall do homage unto the first wild-beast, whose stroke of death, was healed. And he doeth great signs, so that, even fire, he causeth to be coming down unto the earth before men; and he deceiveth them who are dwelling upon the earth, by reason of the signs which it was given him to do before the wild-beast,—saying unto them who are dwelling upon the earth, that they should make an image unto the wild-beast who hath the stroke of the sword, and yet did live. And it was given unto it, to give spirit unto the image of the wild-beast, in order that the image of the wild-beast should both speak and should cause that, as many as should not do homage unto the image of the wild-beast, should be slain. And he causeth all—the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond,—that they should give unto them a mark, upon their right hand or upon their forehead."

This god, "...the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, The one who opposeth and exalteth himself on high against every one called God, or an object of worship; so that he, within the sanctuary of God, shall take his seat, showeth himself forth, that he is, God:— Remember ye not, that, while I was yet with you, these very things, I was telling you... Whose, presence, shall be according to an inworking of satan, with all manner of mighty work and signs and wonders of falsehood, And with all manner of deceit of unrighteousness, in them who are destroying themselves, because, the love of the truth, they did not welcome, that they might be saved; — And, for this cause, Yahweh sendeth them an inworking of error, to the end they should believe in the falsehood,—In order that all should be judged who would not believe in the truth, but were well-pleased with the unrighteousness" (2 Thes. 2:3-12). Christians being well-pleased with the unrighteousness encourages Government to continue their unrighteous deeds, as was done by the United States when slavery was legal in some states. This empowerment by the people exalts Government to a lofty position, as Baal, who then eventually blasphemes Yahweh, not necessarily by word but by it's very wicked deeds.  

Government's Blasphemy against Yahweh
It is said of the wild-beast that he, "...opened his mouth for blasphemy against Yahweh, to blaspheme his name, and his tent,—them, who, in heaven were tabernacling" (Rev. 13:6). Blasphemy is the Greek word, 'blasphemia,' which means "slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another’s good name, impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty." As seen above, Government, as Baal, (the Deceiver) will in some form or another blasphemy Yahweh because it or he is in competition with Him. In the public schools of the United States, the Bible used to be read in the classroom but now it is banned material; creation can no longer be taught but is now replaced with Darwinism; Christmas celebration is now called Winter Festival because the word 'Christmas,' is offensive; sodomy is now called an alterative lifestyle. All of these acts, imposed by Baal (Government) are blasphemous against Yahweh and Christ. Today, step by step the Word of Yahweh is banned from the United States Government sector. A lesser form of the blasphemous wild-beast (Baal, the deceiver, Government), as presented in the book of Revelation, has been observed throughout the ages, from Cain, to the builders of Babel, to Lenin and Stalin, to Obama and to the present.    

Silencing Yahweh's Prophets
Hebrews 1:1-2 reads, " Whereas, in many parts and in many ways of old, Yahweh spake unto the fathers, in the prophets, At the end of these days, He hath spoken unto us in his Son..." A test whether a government is seeking righteousness or has become a Baal is determined by what degree the Word of Yahweh can be spoken. Jezebel, a worshipper of Baal, murdered the prophets of Yahweh, the ones who spoke for Yahweh. John the Immerser spoke against the sin of Herod (Government leader) and was murdered for it. Yahoshua spoke against unrighteousness and was murdered. The apostle James was murdered by Herod for speaking the words of life. Lenin, Stalin and Muslim Governments have put to death those who spoke the Word of Yahweh. Beginning in 1960, a law was enacted that prohibited Churches in the United States to speak against Government officials, if they wanted to retain their nonprofit status. Baal (Government) requires  silence when it comes to the Word of Yahweh.    

The End Result of Baal (Government) Worship
2 Kings 17:7-17 tells us the end result of a two god faith system; "And thus it came to pass that Israel sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt,—yea they did reverence to other gods; and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel,—and in the statutes of the kings of Israel, which they had made. And the sons of Israel did, secretly, things which were not right, against Yahweh their God,—and built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the watchmen’s tower, to the fortified city.  And they set up for themselves pillars and Sacred Stems, upon every high hill, and under every green tree; and burned incense there, in all the high places, like the nations whom Yahweh drave out from before them,—and did things that were wicked, so as to provoke Yahweh to anger; and they served the manufactured gods, as to which Yahweh had said to them, Ye shall not do this thing. And Yahweh testified against Israel and against Judah, through all his prophets—every one who had a vision, saying—Turn ye from your wicked ways, and keep my commandments, my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers; and which I sent unto you through my servants the prophets. Howbeit they hearkened not,—but stiffened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who trusted not in Yahweh their God; but rejected his statutes, and his covenant, which he solemnised with their fathers, and his testimonies wherewith he testified against them,—and followed vanity, and became vain, and followed the nations that were round about them, as to whom Yahweh charged them, so that they should not do like them. But they forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made for themselves something molten—two calves, and made a Sacred Stem, and bowed themselves down to all the army of the heavens, and served Baal; and made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and used divinations and enchantments, and sold themselves to do the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to wrath." Deceived Christians trusting in Government, as a god, began with empowering Government to take money from others to give to themselves but  then Government legalized abortion and paid for it. Shortly after, along came legalizing sodomy and making pastors marry homosexuals and making you hire a homosexual as a Church employee. This god, in the near future, will legalize euthanasia for the newly born and elderly. It all began with deceived and covetous Christians just wanting someone else to pay their hospital bill. The Israelites never dreamed that Baal worship would be their demise and neither do deceived and covetous Christians realize that their Baal (Government) will also be their demise.     

Turning Back Fully to Yahweh
Good Christians, who have made Government their god, must turn back to fully following Yahweh and Yahweh only, obeying the first commandment, washing their hands of the unrighteousness that they partook of. Ezekiel 18:21 stated to Israel, "But, as for the lawless man—When he shall turn back from all his sins which he hath committed, And observe all my statutes, And do justice and righteousness, He shall, surely live, He shall not die." Trusting Yahweh to be one's provider and protector is our calling, regardless of the temptations that Government will entice us with. We loathe wickedness, not partaking of ill gotten gains, loving our neighbor as ourselves. If I would not want a tax upon me neither should I agree to it being placed upon another. I will rebuke government when it breaks Yahweh's commandments and only vote for those who attempt to walk in righteousness, according to the Word of Yahweh. The Democratic party of the United States is a Baal; it stands for sodomy, abortion and the confiscation of property from certain individuals through a taxation that is targeted at the wealthy, which is coveting. It blasphemes Yahweh by breaking three of the ten commandments. (See Appendix A) A great many good Christians are voting for this party, partaking of its wickedness, while all along rejecting that they stand for such sins. This can not be! Ahab did not physically murder Naboth but he did partake of Naboth's property. Yahweh called him a murderer. Christians also, as Ahab, will be judged for the wicked behavior of their representatives that they put into power. They will be judged for leaning on the arm of man rather than upon the arm of Yahweh. Let us mediate upon Jeremiah 17:5; "Thus, saith Yahweh, Accursed, is the man—Who trusteth in a son of earth, And hath made flesh, his arm,—And whose heart, from Yahweh, turneth aside."

(For footnotes, read the PDF verison)
(When quoting scriptures, from the Rotherham Emphasized Bible New Testament, I will substitute the Hebrew words
Yahoshua (yeh-ho-shoo’- ah) for Jesus, Yahweh and Elohim for God and the LORD and ruah for pneuma (spirit).)