Sins of Fathers Visited on 3rd & 4th Generation

In spite of what many in the Church will tell you, this nation is not on God’s side, nor is it righteous. Our nation was founded on many of the principles of the Ancient Roman Republic and the Ancient Greek’s concept of Democracy. Man’s government is not capable of loving people it is a machine that has to be run and fueled by the gears of our society. There has never been a greater example of this than with slavery in this country. They were merely cogs in the wheels used to serve the government.

Therefore, believers in Jesus Christ and his soon return hope and long for the truly righteous government that He will establish by subduing and defeating the spirit of Antichrist and its person not long in the distance. The people of earth will then, and only then, realize justice without regard to race or sex. Those who believe in His Coming can rejoice, in that this hideous racism is a sign of Christ’s intervention and that Jesus’ return is at hand.

In 2008, after Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, people on both sides of the racial divide celebrated, but for uniquely different reasons. Educated, liberal whites celebrated the notion that after 300 years our nation has become enlightened enough to see that a man’s race does not qualify or disqualify a man or person from the office of the presidency. In truth, it was nothing but a fruitless notion signifying nothing short of nothing.

As the nation celebrated those fanciful ideals finally becoming a reality that had been fought for in the Civil War, they danced in the streets like creatures following the Pied Piper.

On the other side of the racial divide many, if not most, African Americans wanted to believe they would finally have the equality promised to their ancestors of the previous two generations. However, it is clear today that this nation has not at all evolved into a nation of equal rights for all people. In fact, the divide has widened and deepened, exposing a festering boil of hatred, fear, and resentment that continues to afflict the poor or middle income levels of people. These are they who have no influence and cannot purchase justice for themselves under any circumstances, guilty or innocent. People in this condition are in constant peril of being drawn into crimes, as bystanders or as a target of either criminals or the law enforcers. The recent racial incidents in the summer and fall of 2014 and 2015 bear witness to this and it would be good to understand why this nation will not and cannot move ahead to a more enlightened state in racial acceptance and understanding. It is not because of any political problem or solely on the shoulders of hate groups that reinforce prejudices. It is the result of the sins of this nation being visited on the subsequent generations, as the Bible says is in fact, judgment for sins not repented. A brief examination of some of the recent and notorious episodes of racial injustice in this nation’s history will prove that the solution is not a political one or even one that can be legislated. It is a condition of sin that continues unabated without the deliverance that comes from Jesus Christ to end it.

Rodney King
In March of 1991, this story might have been lost to the world, had a citizen not used his video recorder to film the Los Angeles police brutally beating Rodney King into submission, when he initially resisted arrest. King was in danger of violating his parole, so he fled from the police because he had been speeding and drinking. When they caught him, he was tasered, and beaten repeatedly with a baton, even after he was on the ground and subdued. The videotape made by the onlooker was sent to an LA TV station and it became a global news story. The incident inspired riots and unrest in several cities, including Toronto, Canada. The unrest was in response to the acquittals of the police officers involved in the violence. Eventually, two of the policemen were convicted and all were sued for King’s pain and suffering. King received more than 3 million in settlement, but it was not a help to him. In fact, it proved to be cursed for him. Rodney King died on June 17, 2012 from a drug overdose that caused him to drown in his own pool. Rodney King was troubled, when riots broke out over the acquittals, he was quoted as pleading with the public; “Can’t we all get along?”

This incident took the mask off in a very public and even global way, of the racism that has existed in the Los Angeles police department and remains in cities in the United States by law enforcement. It was not a stretch to see that Mr. King’s race had a lot to do with the force that was imposed on him that night. While Rodney King did have a criminal record, and he did resist arrest, his actions did not merit all the injuries he sustained that night. This served to highlight the continued inequality and discrimination that exists in the criminal justice system of the United States, proving the unrighteousness of a nation governed by an antichrist system like democracy. There is no real equality or justice in it.

OJ Simpson
In June of 1995, Nicole Brown Simpson, the estranged wife of Heisman Trophy winner and actor, OJ Simpson, was found murdered at her condo along with a friend, Ron Goldman. Five days later, Simpson was involved in a low speed chase that was televised on all the Cable News channels. He had failed to turn himself in to the police when he was informed he was under arrest on suspicion of the murders and attempted to flee to Mexico. Simpson was captured and arrested on June 17th.

In the days after the murders, prior to his arrest, Simpson stayed at his friend, Robert Kardashian’s home. After Simpson’s arrest, Kardashian was spotted with Simpson’s garment bag rumored to have Simpson’s bloody clothes and or the weapon in it. Kardashian later came to Simpson’s legal aid and was part of the legal “Dream Team” that got his acquittal. The lawyers in addition to Kardashian employed were, Johnny Cochran, Robert Shapiro, and F. Lee Bailey.  In a jury comprised of 9 Blacks, 2 Hispanics, and 1 Asian, Simpson was acquitted of murder on October 3, 1995. In a verdict that divided the country along racial lines, African Americans celebrated Simpson’s acquittal as justice being served for them as a community, not just the man. Whites were shocked and dismayed by what was considered a blatant miscarriage of justice and was publicized as such.

Later, Simpson lost the Civil Case of Wrongful Death, brought by the Goldman and Brown families to the tune of 33,500,000.00 dollars. To date, the Goldman family has only realized 500,000.00 dollars that came from Simpson’s belongings and home in California being sold and monies from a subsequent book Simpson penned entitled, If I Did It. The book deal was tied up in an interview and other potential media events, but ordered by the court to be turned over to the Goldman family to repay the pending debt.

Simpson then moved to Florida, where a person’s home cannot be sold to pay a judgment. Since that time, OJ’s life has continued to spiral downward, receiving a large tax lien, as well as some petty arrests for assault, drug trafficking, stealing satellite television services, and boating traffic violations. All of these minor incidents escalated up to his arrest for a bizarre armed robbery he committed to try to get back some OJ memorabilia that he claimed was stolen from him. It landed him in prison, where he now sits, found guilty on 12 counts including kidnapping and sentenced to thirty-three years, with the possibility of parole after nine years.

Did OJ’s acquittal come with a very high price for him? It would appear that it had, he seemed to lose his sanity, perhaps out of the burden of knowing what he did and not admitting to it. But the judgement was not only on OJ but also for the legal “Dream Team”. In a New York Times interview, Robert Kardashian admitted to being troubled by the blood evidence from the trial. Within seven years of the acquittal, Robert Kardashian died of esophageal cancer in 2003. The same year, Lawyer Johnnie Cochran was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Cochran died from the brain tumor two years later. While Cochran was widely known as an advocate for victims of police brutality, his representation of Simpson, in particular the “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” style of defense made him more of a cliché in the legal profession. He became the subject comedic parody of lawyers looking to take up any cause for money and 15 minutes of fame. He remains a controversial figure to this day. Robert Shapiro is alive and appears to enjoy some success, but right after the OJ trial, he resigned from criminal law practice and now does Civil law exclusively. He has not gone without controversy. He reportedly forwarded a request from a client to hide assets that were being sought in a civil action. Shapiro was exonerated in this case but it did not help his reputation. He was also sued by Phil Spector for a 1 million dollar retainer for legal services. Spector later withdrew the action, but not before Shapiro was named in the action. In the same year of Kardashian’s death and Cochrane’s diagnosis, F. Lee Bailey, the 4th in the “Dream Team” was disbarred from practicing law in both Florida and Massachusetts. Bailey was disbarred because while on the OJ case, he and Shapiro were also defending an accused marijuana dealer in Florida. Bailey accepted stocks and other assets as collateral that the government ordered held during the trial. Bailey used the stocks to secure personal loans and when ordered to turn the stocks over to the government, he could not as they were tied up as collateral for himself. He was jailed until his brother raised the cash to secure the stocks and turn them over to the government. Since that time Bailey attempted to get a license to practice law in Maine, but was refused in a 3-4 ruling by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

Was there a judgment on the key players in the administration of man’s form of justice, without regard for God? It seems to be too much of a coincidence that all involved have had their lives turned upside down in the wake of the controversial trial that reignited the racial divide and brought about an unjust result.

Trayvon Martin
February 26, 2012 a 17 year old black youth was shot by a 28 year old Hispanic man in an altercation in Sanford, Florida. The shooter was George Zimmerman, who was acting as part of a neighborhood watch organization in his gated community. Trayvon Martin was a regular visitor to the Sanford, Florida community with his father, visiting his father’s fiancée and her son at her townhome on the lake.

Zimmerman reported to the police that he and Martin got into an altercation and that he feared for his life so he shot Martin in self-defense. Conflicting accounts by witnesses stated that Zimmerman was the attacker, and others say that Martin was the aggressor. Zimmerman was accused of being a racist and having racially profiled Martin, thereby setting off a firestorm of racially charged demonstrations and accusations against Zimmerman and the Sanford, Florida Police Department. The nation’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, stated he had no confidence in the Sanford Police’ willingness to get to the truth and promised an independent investigation on a Federal level. Police Chief Lee ultimately arrested Zimmerman, despite his concerns about the evidence supporting Zimmerman’s account of the shooting. The Sanford City Council criticized Chief Lee for his inaction and Chief Lee took a leave of absence to facilitate the investigation, amid the allegations that he was not handling it properly. The FBI did conduct an extensive investigation leading up to Zimmerman’s trial.

April 11, 2012, Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder and was tried in June.  On July 13, 2012 he was found not guilty by jury. Although Zimmerman was tried relatively quickly, it was full of controversy and criticism. Alan Dershowitz accused the State’s Prosecutor, AngelaCorey, of criminal conduct, the worst he’s ever seen. The testimony of the called witnesses, only fed the controversy by the contradictions on both sides making the trial confused and impossible to prove. Adding to the difficulty of prosecuting the case was the “Stand your ground laws” unique to Florida. Zimmerman’s defense team cited this law, coupled with the insistence that Martin was the aggressor leading up to the shooting. Therefore, since no clear evidence could be made that Zimmerman acted in a way other than in self-defense, he was found not-guilty. The nation was divided by this verdict, racially, politically, and even generationally. This was different than the OJ trial in that the social opinion was clearly along racial lines. The Trayvon Martin case was a division of African Americans, young people, politically liberal, and those who have been racially profiled or oppressed by law enforcement, vs more conservative whites, some hispanics, and middle aged to older people of a conservative political leaning.

After the trial, Zimmerman had to go into hiding, along with his family, as they were receiving death threats. Roughly a month later in a curious incident (possibly staged), Zimmerman was hailed a hero for rescuing a family out of a burning car. It did not help his image in the African American community, but he publically reappeared in a different light. However, in a few shortmonths he was accused of abusing his wife, and given a restraining order to keep away from her. He has suffered financial losses and had numerous traffic incidents, adding to his notoriety. A more recent incident, was being charged with threatening his girlfriend with assault. It all adds up to Zimmerman appearing to be a man of violence. It could suggest that, once again, God is exposing the truth about someone who was able to avoid justice through man’s imperfect means.

Overall, this incident brought out how divided the nation is. People are running on fear and distrust. Those outside of law enforcement do not expect justice from those charged with dispensing it. The media steps in and fuels people’s fears and prejudices by their biased reporting of the news, and people settle on the truth coming from where their own bias rests. It is no wonder there is no real justice to be found in our legal system. We must rely on God to reveal the truth about a matter, if we rely on men, we will be deceived.

Michael Brown and Ferguson, Missouri
August 9, 2014 an unarmed Black Teenager named Michael Brown was gunned down by a White Police Officer named Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. It sparked off weeks of violence in the suburb of St. Louis, including looting and the burning down of several buildings and businesses in the downtown area. The African American community was already smoldering from years of injustice perpetrated by the racially biased, predominantly white Police Force of Ferguson and the surrounding area. In a review of testimony on both sides and from surveillance footage, Brown was accused of stealing Cigarillos from the convenience store and then refusing to respond to the Police Officer’s order to get on the sidewalk out of the street. There is conflicting testimony as to who made the first acts of aggression, but in the final report, an unarmed Brown was shot six times, with the fatal wound entering his head. Police Officer, Wilson claimed he felt threatened by the large young man, but logically, the force was excessive, considering Brown was unarmed. Once more, an African American youth was cut down in an incident that by all appearance was more senseless violence, borne out of fear, prejudice, and the inclination to presume guilt based on race.

The response of the African American community was to rise up and cry injustice. Al Sharpton was called in to add his expertise but only added to the media circus. The result of adding his “righteous indignation” to the mix, is to make their complaints less credible. His track record ala Tawana Brawley, is to bring the gasoline and hate speak to an already difficult, and painful chapter in the history of racial injustice in our nation.  Sadly, many of the voice pieces of the Community have done more damage than good at making their complaints more substantive.

 Leaders like Jesse Jackson have been proved to be hypocrites, misappropriating funds from their charities and womanizing. Al Sharpton used his Presidential campaign financing to stay in 5 star hotels and traveling 1st class. It is hard to believe in their conviction for more equality when they live like they are wealthy, off of the donations of the people looking to them for leadership and solutions.  The opportunists looking for an excuse to loot and serve themselves often emerge in the civil uprisings, tainting the legitimate complaints of inequality and injustice. Additionally, these flawed leaders only fuel the prejudices of the ignorant and fearful whites.

What is notable is that the protests of Ferguson set off a series of demonstrations in other cities in the United States and marches for civil rights over the rest of the summer and through the fall. The participants were not only the usual African American leaders and their followers, but also young people of all ethnicities. They marched and demonstrated over the injustice and lack of civil liberties for people of color. Many of the liberal young people who joined the demonstrations, continue to demonstrate. A recent incident in Boston had a number of young white people attaching themselves to barrels full of concrete and sitting in the middle of the highways going into the city at rush hour. This created a traffic nightmare and got national attention, but they were largely judged to be crackpots and troublemakers, and the battle rages on with no resolution in sight.

To mark the 1 year anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown, demonstrations and rioting have resumed in Ferguson, and now vigilante groups from both sides are participating to fan the flames of hatred and resentment.There has been little response on the part of the Government except to ask the Attorney General to look into the individual incidents. Apart from FBI investigation, nothing substantive has happened. It is unlikely that any legislation will come down on the side of civil rights, as they are eroding daily. This must occur, as the world is pressing on to the Antichrist system like a freight train. God’s Word says this must happen for His plan of the ages to be completed, so those who look for that can rejoice, in knowing God’s Word is true as it unfolds before their eyes. Not that anyone in their right mind would hope to lose their liberty, but for true liberty to come, some pain and loss will be involved to get to the liberty of Jesus Christ.

Eric Garner
Thursday, July 19, 2015 a forty three year old man named Eric Garner was wrestled to the ground by police when they believed he was resisting arrest for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. He was a large man with asthma and asked the police to leave him alone, as he had been previously arrested for the same violation back in May. Garner denied doing anything wrong and never touched the arresting officers. Instead, he put his hands in the air and asked not to be touched. One of the arresting officers responded by grabbing Garner and applying a chokehold on him to wrestle him to the ground. They responded to Garner’s appeals that he couldn’t breathe, by forcing his face into the pavement and three officers moved in to keep him subdued. When Eric Garner went still and it became clear he wasn’t breathing, paramedics were called in but they failed to treat Mr. Garner with any urgency. In fact, they lingered around talking before they gave a very lackluster treatment to the man who had suffered cardiac arrest.

This was a tragedy for Eric Garner, whose life was cut short due to an overzealous, violent police officer. Acting more like a thug, Daniel Pantaleo, the offending officer, who was caught on camera, applied an unwarranted chokehold to subdue a man accused of committing a minor misdemeanor. Worse, it is a tragedy to Eric Garner’s wife who has to try to raise their six children alone and to the children who lost their father, and breadwinner. His wife publicly stated she is at a loss as to how she can support the six children without him. Official police regulations, forbid officers to use the chokehold in arrests for the very reason of it being excessive force in most instances.

The locals were outraged and there were civil rights rallies, including Al Sharpton, denouncing the New York Police use of excessive force. All because statistically, black males especially, suffer harassment and persecution at their hands most often, and in short are profiled. The Garner case only fueled the building tensions of the summer, but by and large thedemonstrations were fairly controlled until it was determined that the arresting officer would not be indicted in the matter. Now many supporters of the black community in New York rallied around them in several demonstrations, including shutting down major highways, and including some incidents of violence. The demonstrations went on for weeks in New York and other cities like Boston and Chicago. The tensions continued to mount in New York City and around the nation while more police shootings kept happening, including a 12 year old boy who was shot to death in Cleveland, Ohio in November, 2014 because he had a toy BB gun in his waistband. Another 13 year old boy was shot to death in Northern California because he was carrying what they believed to be an assault rifle, but was really a toy, in October of 2014. The police violence was certainly not confined to these cited, but there is not time to cover all of the injustices of just the past year. What has become evident with all of these violent arrests is that the authorities in this country have taken a standard method of operation in urban areas where, black males are guilty until searched and questioned. If there is any resistance, deadly force comes into play and it can often spell disaster. Disaster not only for the victim but for their family and for the arresting officers.

In today’s 24 hour news cycles, these very public incidents are broadcast and dissected by the media inciting the bias of either side depending on the particular bias of the broadcast entity. The victim can be slandered offending the grieving family who now want retribution for their loss andvindication for their loved one. In short, it fuels hate and the racial divide grows wider and deeper. At times the media supports the law enforcement side of the issue, presuming they are merely doing their job in serving the public and keeping the peace. However, media bias does not prove the truth. Only Jesus Christ can bring the real truth and clarity of a given situation. While some media outlets claim to be on the side of the victim’s civil rights they are not discerning what is true or righteous. Last summer and fall and subsequent racially charged incidents have proven that the standard approach by law enforcement around the country, is that they are proceeding in a method that incites the public to violence. One terrible example of that result is the assassination of two police officers in New York by a fugitive from Baltimore who was incensed by the decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo, in the death of Eric Garner.

The two officers were sitting ducks in their police cruiser and never saw the shooter comingbefore they were fatally wounded by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who was on the run for shooting his former girlfriend in Baltimore. Upon killing the officers, Brinsley fled into the subway and shot himself, taking his life. Killed in the incident were Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, two uniformed beat cops. Ironically, the New York Police Department was receiving information from the Baltimore Police that Mr. Brinsley could be in the New York area and had made threatening comments about the police on social media.  This occurred as Brinsley was in the act of killing Ramos and Liu.

One misguided violent action, led to multiple violent reactions and the racial divide only grew wider and deeper. There are spirits in operation in these episodes that provoke and mobilize people into hateful ignorant actions, causing destruction and sorrow for the victims and their families. The spirits are a remnant from our disgraceful history of slavery and having built our nation and its economy on the backs and suffering of others. This is part of our heritage, in taking people hostage and treating them as property for worldly gain, without regard for how they are impacted or made to suffer. After the Civil War, our nation promised to atone for the sins of the past by laws that we have failed to live up to and now the trust is so deeply broken that all that is left is distrust, hate, resentment, and bitterness because the black community cannot expect fair or equal treatment, even today.

With a black President in office and laws in place, concerning Civil Rights, we see the divide widening and the prisons are full of African Americans at a disproportionate rate, in comparison to the rest of the population. Black Men cannot walk through town without having to keep an eye open for the police, and trying to be invisible to them. After the slaves were emancipated they were made promises and the restitution promised has never been paid. Injustice upon injustice has come upon African Americans in this country, and the only ones to escape the usual scrutiny by authorities are those of celebrity status. They, like their white counterparts can find all the justice they can afford. The example of OJ hiring a team of A-list lawyers who could craft a clever argument to insinuate a reasonable doubt to the jury that got him a not-guilty verdict stands as an example.

It appears that Bill Cosby has been able to stay out of court by his celebrity status and with the help of his legal advisors and handlers. He has been able to pay for silence from his victims until recently. A more complete analysis of Bill Cosby and the exposure of his double life is covered in another article in this series.

Conclusion
Hardly a week goes by without a report of some violence on an unarmed African American male by the police. Yet, seldom are there any consequences to arresting officers. Recent violence in a South Carolina church by an avowed white supremacist renewed the debate and sparked national outrage over this caption: “Recently the Confederate flag still flew in front of the state capitol of South Carolina.”

With the public outcry, the Governor of South Carolina initiated legislation to get the flag taken down. It did come to pass in a few weeks, but not before there was a national movement to pressure the state to do so. It was more a matter of being on the right side of public opinion, rather than an effort to correct an injustice to a race of people who have been oppressed by what the flag signifies.

The OJ saga is still fluid, even with him in jail, it remains to be seen how his story will conclude as he awaits parole. As one searching out the truth, what can one take away from all of this? Man today, especially in the United States is ill equipped to resolve any of these matters in a just way. Our judicial system is anything but just. The high percentage of disparity in our prison system of black to white or other ethnicity is glaring. We are seeing many aged black men being released from prison in recent years being pardoned because DNA evidence proves they were innocent of the violent crimes they were charged with. One of the worst problems feeding racial tension in the United States is fear. Whites continue to live in fear of entering black neighborhoods or even associating with black people. The fears are not completely unfounded. Whites are often unwelcome in black neighborhoods because some white authority has been oppressing people in the neighborhood for as long as they can remember. Therefore, white people are not made to feel welcome and are at risk.

Many whites continue in their racial prejudice, under the guise of supporting law enforcement or their own sense of what is righteous. It is subtle, merciless, and dishonest but is transparent to those on the receiving end. Therefore, tensions are building and reaching a boiling point in many of these neighborhoods and it could erupt at any time into violence, a la Ferguson. Much of what is reported in the media only reinforces the fears and tensions. African Americans live in constant fear of being harassed by the police or falling into the hands of the legal system. The day of white lynch mobs are not that far removed from the memories of many African Americans. In many ways, they are still oppressed by the effects of slavery and they are both fearful and angry, because they have never been given the promised restitution or even a real apology from this nation that in part, was built on the backs of their ancestors. There are white people today who still lament the end of slavery for African Americans, although it is unspoken. The recent controversy over the Confederate Flag flying over the State House in South Carolina is evidence of that. They may clean it up to say it is a symbol of their regional history, but if they really stopped to examine it, they should be ashamed of what it has represented, the oppression of a race of people in this country.

How can the United States bring about meaningful reconciliation between the races? The answer is it can’t. Obama’s election did not bring about any meaningful change for the oppressed black population. There has not been any real progress through our government or civil rights. In fact, all Americans are realizing a reduction in their civil rights as we speak.

Free speech, in reality, is a thing of the past. As previously noted, “justice” in the USA comes to those who can pay for it. We have discovered that our correspondence, phone calls, and postings on social media are not at all private. The Feds can observe our every move, every thought posted, every purchase, through electronic listening and tracking. In essence, we are already living under the watchful eye of fascism. The fear and hatred that is a by-product of such a controlled state, fans the flames of racism in this country.

All one needs to do is consider Nazi Germany to realize it is true and why the police consistently use excessive force. As a believer in God’s prophetic word, what can we take away from all these tensions and problems that is our current state of affairs? “Look up for our redemption draweth nigh.”

“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?
   And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
   And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
   For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
   And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
   For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.
   All of these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
   And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
   And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
   But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matt 24:3-13

The United States is realizing the consequences of the sinful oppression of a people who were bought and sold as slaves. The Bible says that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon their children to the third and fourth generation. The racial divide in the United States is one result in all of its current manifestations. Until Jesus returns there will be no real equality in this country or anywhere on Earth.