Feud for Thought
One of the many recurrent themes that run through the pages of the Holy Bible and Israel history is that of brotherly conflict. At the very start, is recorded the fractious nature of the relationship between Cain and Abel, then later a similar conflict regarding Jacob and Esau, followed not long after by animosity shown towards Joseph by his brothers. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It is almost as though filial dissent is an identifier of Divine action and discourse, or a device commonly used to further the will of the Almighty.
With respect to the earliest example, the Scriptures make it clear that Cain could have, if he had wished, overcome the setback he had experienced and still had made progress and found favour with God. But because of his petulance and an inability to be gracious towards correction, rebellion took root, which resulted in his becoming a murderer and an outcast.
In modern times, we can see similar occurrences, which have devastated the world. Although not brothers, The Kaiser Wilhelm 2nd was jealous of his cousin, our King George 5th, a passion which would lead to war between Germany and Britain in August 1914, and of course, we have all just been a witness to the bile which surfaced as a result of one royal brother being resentful of his sibling. The Devil surely knows how to fuel the fire, and as he is the Prince of the Power of the Air, it is only natural that the amoral mass media should be mostly under his jurisdiction. Much is made today of celebrity, one meaning of which is a person of renown. Well, we know only too well of the men of renown in the first chapters of Genesis and they angered the Lord God (because every imagination of their heart was evil continually). It is abhorrent that the views of those who regard themselves as celebrities should be used to besmirch those who have spent a whole lifetime in dedicated service to others.
The serpent forces are indeed on the march and intend to destroy all the works of Almighty God. They well seek to elevate every unspeakable thing and tread down all that is noble and good. That they will eventually fail to accomplish their aims is not to say that they will not be able to cause much painful mischief.
The latest spectacle brings to mind the Arthurian legends, and in particular, the stealing away of the King’s son, Mordred by his mother Morgan-le-Fey, in order to ‘weaponise’ him against his father. Also interesting is the definition of the word ‘morganatic’, which refers to a marriage where the person of a lower estate marries someone from a higher ștrand of society, but is not accorded the privileges pertinent to the latter. Any progeny is also barred from inheriting ranks and titles. There are in my opinion very dark forces at work here, possibly a supreme attack on God’s Royal Line. And if I am not mistaken, a certain amount of black magic and of the Synagogue of Satan. We should not assume that the incumbent of the Papacy is the only counterfeit on offer.
Proverbs, Chapter 23 advises as follows, ‘When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite, be not desirous of his dainties: For they are a deceitful meat.’ This is indeed a warning not to indulge in social climbing, for that way lies flattery and deception. We should rather be ‘in the fear of the Lord all the day long.’
In the poem:’Lamia’, by John Keaton, the chief character, Lycius is deceived by a snake who has the ability to transform into a woman of beauty. He is warned by the sage Apollonius to forgo his youthful foolishness, but to no avail, and he dies unremembered, his strength having deserted him.
We are all individually and collectively approaching a fork in the road, where one path leads upwards and the other downwards to oblivion. There is no more ‘level playing field’. We either ascend or descend.
Those who are seeking to encourage us to take the downward path are subtle beyond measure, and have powerful weapons at their disposal, one of which is to try and convince us that we are on our own or in an insignificant minority. They also wish us to pollute our bodies with deadly foreign substances, using the pretext that they are good for us. Much as did Satan in the Garden of Eden. May we all obtain and develop the spiritual gift of discernment.
Amen.
Editor: There could well be a deep, foreboding message in this excellent Alan Edwards’ article if we embark on the wrong fork. When he wrote, “We are all individually and collectively approaching a fork in the road, where one path leads upwards and the other downwards to oblivion”, as I see it, most of us can relate to great strength we must exercise to resist those temptations we know are on the downward path. When David wrote in Psalm 23, “He leadeth me along the path of righteousness for his name’s sake”, we realize this is the path leading to the Kingdom and all of us stray from that path periodically as we journey through our lives, but we are told not to be afraid because the Holy Spirit is there to encourage us through the Laws and Commandments to get back on the path. Yet, often we lack the strength of our convictions to remain on the upper path and the downward temptations can be repeated over and over. Sadly, in these last years of the seventh prophetic hour, Satan is working even harder to achieve his goals and is enjoying much success through the entire Israel World, as evidenced by the lockdowns, loss of freedoms, etc. Therefore, there has never been a time when prayer is more important to take the right fork in the road.
