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The 2006 Elections - What does it mean to the Christian

Rev Michael Bresciani Bresciani

As always right after any election the phrase the American people have spoken is being resounded profusely. Given that only forty percent of Americans have voted and of those the disenthralled, the unlearned and the well coaxed make up a goodly percentage of the voters, some are more willing to say the American people have regurgitated.

Majority rule has never proved itself to be infallible. From lynch mobs to the landslide re-election of former President Nixon in 1972 which ended in cries for his impeachment, majority rule has in so many ways proven that a crowd can be just as mistaken as an individual.

It is also said that the seats were lost because Americans want a new Iraq policy. Staying the course is out and getting out is in. Abrogation from anything that requires a little resolve and the slightest protraction of time and effort is not so surprising in this country today. America is the undisputed avant-garde of the X generation. In a society where information is ingested in split second spots and daily life is broken down into hundreds of little segments of business and complexity it is little wonder that Americans are said to have the shortest attention spans of any people in the world. Stay the course? It would be easier to stop a swarm of killer bees

Adding to a short American attention span is short sightedness concerning the nature of the conflict in Iraq. Removing Saddam from power can only be a good thing for Iraq and for the rest of the world but that is about where it ends. Trying to set up a democracy where a religion formerly carried the ball for over fifteen centuries is like trying to get the whole world to replace soccer with American football.

We are not dealing with clear cut ideologies like communism, fascism or socialism in this region. We can t call for the removal of a wall as we did in 1989 or send aid to distressed countries as before to help them and generate goodwill for the U.S. Now we are a spiritual entity according to the Muslims (Satan) and it takes more than guns to bring down Satan. It is an Islamic theology not a political ideology that is what is making the U.S. Iraq policy ineffective.

Whether Allah is God or anything like God is up for major dispute but that Arabs rule their countries as not so benevolent theocracies is not. America is anything but a theocracy and there are few Americans who can extend their thinking far enough to understand that kind of government. To America government and theology are miles apart. They may compliment each other but they don t share the same seat.

It is wrong to say that all democrats are liberal but entirely safe to say that the majority of liberals involved in politics can be found in the democratic camp. While it is only a slight overstatement, liberals are the crowd that generally believes that anything goes. They have been severely suppressed these last twelve years

What does the democratic victory in both houses mean to the conservative and more so what does it mean to the conservative Christian and the Christian church? It is not a cause for panic but it is something to carefully note because the political shift is probably a precursor of yet darker and far more ominous trends and events.

Prophetically it would seem that just another shift between the political left and the conservatives is nothing new, so why worry? Normally that would be true. American politics has made countless shifts in the past without plunging into confusion. The one difference today is that nearly every major prophecy about the second coming of Christ is now far underway. This put simply means that what America and the world are running out of is not democracy, hopes for peace, theocracy or any other form of government. What we are running out of is time.

It is not the seats in the Congress that are so important to the believer but the seat of the Antichrist. For almost all conservative eschatologists, theologians and Christians in general, that seat is without doubt the newly formed European Union. Also the unanimous cry of the ancient biblical prophets is that when Israel regains independent sovereign nationhood and possesses Jerusalem again there is but a single generation left before the arrival of Messiah. Other signs and portents are emerging in full force through world events, nature and increased warnings from those in the Christian community who have been called upon

Let s do the long and the short of it. What liberals have already engineered and what they are actively pursuing today might give us a clue of what they could seek to accomplish in the future.

Liberals have brought in abortion, removal of school prayers, stem cell research, removal of religious symbols in various places, restraints on military chaplains concerning prayer, gay rights and same sex marriage and civil contract laws. This is just scratching the surface the full history would take up more space than this article is wont to produce.

To the serious student of bible prophecy the liberal progressives are the most likely candidates to bring in the changes that are implied or specifically warned about in the scriptures. With all other last days prophecies merging and barreling forward to the final rise of the world s last and worst dictator, the 2006 elections look like yet another step in the wrong direction for America.

Here are some of the things that we will see ahead.

1. A totally new view of marriage and family that includes same sex and multiple partners which will be protected under the law.

2. Laws that will attempt to limit what gospel preachers can say from the pulpit about gays, abortion or any other disputed issue that has come under constitutional protection through the law.

3. Removal of many of the protections and freedoms guaranteed under 501-C exemptions for churches and ministries.

4. The possible rise of a politician or someone akin to a minister of science (the false prophet) that will encourage America to ally with the emerging dictator of the European Union. (the Antichrist)

5. A participation in the world s newest economic system that tracks all the personal information on every person in the system.

6. The active demonizing and persecution of Christians first, then on to any religion false or real.

7. The jailing and eventually the instant execution of anyone resisting the new dictator

8. The shaking of the whole world

9. The second coming of Christ, who removes the governments from men and sits in Jerusalem to rule for one thousand years of peace.

The new cultural churches of the day have become increasingly uncomfortable with these kinds of prophecies. But to those who fully understand the commission laid on them

One item that is often missing in any warning about biblical prophecy is a bit of advice to bolster or prepare the hearers of such prognostications. The biblical prophets always provided their listeners with a way out or a way to change course at least for individuals if they were willing to listen. Here is my best advice.

Turn your life over to the Lord Jesus Christ. Start

Study your bible starting with the New Testament. Ignorance of Gods plan will cost more than any crash of the stock market or personal loss you may ever experience.

If you are already a believer stop being ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel. If you are in a cultural or any other kind of liberal church that is ashamed of him and every word he spoke get out of it! Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Matthew 8:38

Hurry! I don t know the day or the hour Jesus is coming but I am persuaded that we are approaching the midnight hour at breakneck speed and when the smoke clears every now and then you can see the final station just ahead.

Three Mystery Pieces for Flute and Piano

American Music Teacher , April-May, 2004 by Alice Hammel

Three Mystery Pieces for Flute and Piano, by Gary Schocker. Theodore Presser Company (588 N. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406), 2003. 25 pp. $19.95. Advanced intermediate to advanced.

This piece, for flute and piano, was composed by Gary Schocker, who is a flutist, composer and pianist. He is a multiple award-winning composer who has written numerous compositions for flute and other orchestra instruments. He also has composed several musicals for adults and children, as well as many songs.

This work consists of three movements: I. Waiting for Nightfall; II. Moonlit; III. Romance 4018.

Each movement is dedicated to a flutist who has worked with Schocker. The composer also notes, "The flute is vocal throughout, it`s long lyrical lines equally partnered in the romantic sweep of the piano. Each movement is progressively more syncopated, so that the last swings almost entirely on the off-beats. My title alludes to the unusual endings of all three pieces; they leave the listener suspended in midair (I hope)."

The range of the piece is from b3 to b6. There are key and time signature changes within movements. Students should be familiar with rhythms that inch*de dotted-eighth followed by two thirty-second notes and several syncopated rhythmic patterns. Successful performance of this work requires a moderate to advanced sense of lyrical line, fluid mastery of third octave fingerings and a working knowledge of accidentals, including double sharps (x). Proper breath support when adhering strictly to tempo markings may be difficult for some less experienced flutists. Some sections are marked "non vib" to indicate no vibrato. This marking leads us to assume vibrato is expected in other portions of the work. The character of the melodic lines lends themselves easily to a style of expression that includes vibrato and may be beneficial for students with a developing vibrato--particularly in the third octave.

The nature of the piece includes very melodic writing with a singing quality to the lines. At times, the melodic and harmonic lines seem almost "pop" or "Broadway musical" sounding. This may appeal to students who are unaccustomed to performing contemporary music and may be useful prior to introducing music with less immediate tonal appeal. Also, students who are developing tone and expression in the third octave may be drawn to these melodic patterns that sometimes are performed in more than one octave or tonality during the movement.

Editorial markings are clear and contain reasonable expectations regarding dynamic contrasts and style considerations. Precise tempo markings are listed. Students at the advanced-intermediate to advanced levels will enjoy this piece. Because of Schocker`s background as a pianist, the accompaniment is more interesting than some others available for flute literature at this level. Further information regarding the piece and composer can be found at www.garyschocker.com. Reviewed by Alice Hammel, Richmond, Virginia.

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