Advent-ure 2020 December 2: EMMANUEL (Still Resetting)

In Isaiah 7, we find a passage concerning King Ahaz, who ruled over the nation of Judah, part of the divided kingdom, which included the city of Jerusalem.  Ahaz was beseiged by the kings of Syria and Israel - they had come against Jerusalem and were turned back.  In the middle of the chapter, God 
points to the ultimate ruler whom He would send:
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

Don't think for a moment that God is not involved in political activities - as Daniel reminds us, He is over the rise and fall of kings.  He used leaders to bring judgment to His people, and His chosen people were brought into captivity in order that His purposes might be revealed.  So, we place our lives in the hands of a sovereign God - when we are fearful about developments that contradict Biblical principles, we can understand and be at peace that God's purposes are sure, and the sovereign God - Emmanuel, God with us, reigns supreme.

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In the words of the Christmas story, we see the overpowering presence of God, moving in the lives of the players in it.  In Matthew 1, we find a man named Joseph who was in a quandary, perhaps there was confusion, perhaps unsettledness.  The women to whom he was engaged was pregnant, and He was 
considering what to do. He needed a nudge from on high, and in Matthew 1, we see these words:
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

Even Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, needed a fresh reminder of the presence of God with Him, and Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, in the midst of a confusing, confounding world, reminds us that He is with us.  It's Day 2 of this year's Christmas Advent-ure, entitled, "Call His Name," and today, we explore Emmanuel, which means "God with us."

Why, it was just over a month ago, less than a week before the election, when I brought some information about what is being termed The Great Reset.  Columnist Patrice Lewis of WND.com puts it this way, in what you might call layman's terms:

In the spirit of never letting a crisis go to waste, COVID has offered the perfect opportunity to destroy the world economy and usher in some of the most ridiculous, draconian and (listen carefully) unsustainable social agendas to ever exist. Communism is never sustainable. Ever.

Lewis quotes Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, who said, "To achieve a better outcome, the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a 'Great Reset' of capitalism."  She points out: "Schwab also famously said, 'You'll own nothing' and 'you'll be happy about it.'"

Patrice opines: "Everything that's happened so far in 2020 – lockdowns, destruction of small businesses, crippled economy – is an attempt to shove people into such desperate circumstances that they'll beg their elite overlords to 'save' them."

Just days after my commentary on this "Reset," noted columnist John Zmirak of The Stream wrote a piece, in which he quotes Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who had written an open letter to President Trump, which had been published at The Stream. Zmirak says that the reader should "remember that it’s not some prophecy by a solitary mystic prone to visions. Its author is a professional diplomat, who represented the Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., for years. A man of measured words."  And, yes, the Archbishop mentioned the World Economic Forum's "Great Reset."

Zmirak relates, "I fear that the most powerful people, groups, and institutions in the West have passed a tipping point. I think they have sold their souls, and frankly lost their minds. The virus panic proved for some enough to snap their last attachment to reality. Others see it cynically, as a pretext for finally acting on cold, inhuman ideas they have toyed with for decades."

Then, Zmirak challenges churches: "Will our churches, hastily shuttered, ever reopen? Will state governors continue to wield god-like power over the movement and livelihoods of their citizens — even as they rain death down on patients in nursing homes? Archbishop Vigano warns of specific measures he sees coming..."  The Archbishop writes these sobering words:

[T]he renunciation of private property and adherence to a program of vaccination against Covid-19 and Covid-21 promoted by Bill Gates with the collaboration of the main pharmaceutical groups. Beyond the enormous economic interests that motivate the promoters of the Great Reset, the imposition of the vaccination will be accompanied by the requirement of a health passport and a digital ID, with the consequent contact tracing of the population of the entire world. Those who do not accept these measures will be confined in detention camps or placed under house arrest, and all their assets will be confiscated.

Think this is some way out conspiracy theory?  Consider this evidence: first from a tweet by Emerald Robinson of Newsmax: 

Remember when I told you that governments would try to mandate vaccination? And would try to mandate “digital” vaccination records?

It’s all part of the move to one-world government.

Read Archbishop Vigano’s letter about The Great Reset.

Then, she linked to an article at TheHill.com, which reports that:

The travel industry is moving ahead with plans to ensure a coronavirus vaccine means tourism and travel, both domestically and internationally, can quickly be revived.

Industry leaders are coordinating their efforts to create a digital passport that would say whether a passenger has been vaccinated for COVID-19.

This is an effort by the International Air Transport Association. The article states, "The digital health pass would include a passenger’s testing and vaccine information and would manage and verify information among governments, airlines, laboratories and travelers."  In a statement, the CEO of the IATA referred to a "global information infrastructure" which is "needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with traveler identities in compliance with border control requirements."  The article reports that Australian airline Qantas is planning to require passengers to have the COVID vaccine before flying; its head thinks other airlines should do the same.

And, ticketing service Ticketmaster had made news earlier by saying that the COVID vaccine would be a prerequisite for purchasing tickets to concerts, sporting events, and other events handled by the service. Ticketmaster seems to backing off from that, stating on its website: "To clarify, there is absolutely no requirement from Ticketmaster mandating vaccines/testing."  Sometimes it's helpful to keep reading - the website also says: "One idea to keep the event entry process as simple and convenient as possible is to find a way for fans to link their digital ticket to their negative test results, vaccine status, health declaration or any other info that is determined to greenlight access. This would allow fans to enter an event with one scan of their ticket, rather than entering and then having to wait in another line to show their health verification."

A digital health pass?  A digital ticket for events?  Encoded with health information, including the outcome of COVID tests or status of a vaccine.  Unprecedented!  Without pointing to black helicopters, this desire for global tracking, in the wrong hands, has the potential for excessive control by authorities and seems to be ripe for abuse.  

And, as David Curry of Open Doors USA reported on The Meeting House, China is developing ways to "track" its people's behavior electronically, including participation in Christian behavior.  We'll talk about that next week.

Recognizing that God is with us, we can certainly respond to developments in our world by rejecting anxiety and walking in peace.  The Bible tells us that if we keep our minds fixed on the Lord, we can have His peace; it is not conditional on our circumstances, it is produced, as a fruit of the Spirit, by our devotion to God.

So, we can be aware that God is with us and will sustain us.  We, as a nation and world, have endured tough times, and there are more ahead.  Tough times will always be with us.  But, we have the presence of God who lives in our hearts to give us the strength and wisdom we need in order to navigate our difficulties.

Finally, we can continue to be vigilant in prayer.  We are engaged in a spiritual war - ultimately for the hearts and souls of men and women.  The enemy wants to diminish our effectiveness and distract us from our true devotion to and adoration for our Savior.  We need to stand in our Biblical authority and call upon the name of the Lord, praying in the name of Jesus, according to His will that He may be exalted in the earth.