Josiah was a king in the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 22 & 2 Chronicles 34) who came to power following the excessive corrupted kingships of his father, Amon, and notorious grandfather, Manasseh.
We are informed that the young king began to seek God and eventually drastic reforms were instituted which resulted in ridding the kingdom of a number of idolatrous practices, including the abomination of child sacrifice to heathen deities.
However, there were 2 very serious issues that indicated the kingdom was still in trouble. First, while there were reforms of a kind carried out, it appears that there was no real remorse on the part of the people for past wrongs committed, including the widespread practice of child sacrifice. In other words, their hearts still longed for the old heathen ways and practices even as they seemed to conform to the changes initiated by King Josiah. That this is how it was is confirmed by the prophet Jeremiah through whom God spoke saying,
The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: "Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, 'Return to Me.' But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense," says the LORD.Jeremiah 3:6-10 (NKJV)
Second, God had previously indicated that judgment would come upon the kingdom as a result of the myriad of unholy practices introduced by King Manasseh. But due to the sincerity and action initiated by King Josiah to bring reform, God revealed that the judgment would be put on hold for a time and not take place during Josiah's reign.
Now, having said that, and as we travel through time to the beginning of a new millenium and a new president taking charge as of January 20, 2001 we are faced with a question. With the corrupting and devastating impact of the Clinton/Gore "reign" which is everywhere to be seen in our nation, will George W. Bush and his administration be able to bring about the necessary reforms and changes in order to restore the nation to a high level of spirituality, morality, ethics, sanity, and stability?
OR, will George Bush simply prove at best to be a modern style Josiah who may accomplish some "reforms" of a kind? This due to the fact that the true "heart" of the majority, while appearing to go along with those reforms, still strongly prefers the Clinton/Gore standards with which it had become infatuated over the years.
Consider what some of the Clinton/Gore standards are (space does not permit a TOTAL listing):
-
1. Clinton redefined sexuality and what sexual activity is all about in his affair with a young intern named Monica Lewinsky! The media and the nation indulged in this with great pleasure. The ultimate impact of this has yet to be realized, especially among the very young -- see William Jefferson Clinton As a Role Model! (use reverse on web browser to return here).
Further, there is something terribly wrong with our nation's value system when a young woman can be a participant in an immoral scandal with the president of the United States and then she accumulates a fortune from foreign as well as domestic sources as a direct result of that scandal!
Further still -- evidence that the nation's "value system" has descended to gutter level is seen when at the end of 2000 polls indicated that William Jefferson Clinton and Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton, the newly elected carpet bagger senator of New York, rank among most admired persons! Someone with much higher authority than all presidents and kings combined, and Who holds the title, "King of kings and Lord of lords," has said,
"You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." (Luke 16:15).By the way, if you haven't become acquainted with the One Who made that statement, it would be a very wise decision on your part to do so while there is yet a fraction of time!
2. The Clinton/Gore adminstration was brazenly bold in its support of the destruction of unborn children, speaking out in its support of the falsely assumed "woman's right to choose!" No other presidential administration had ever done this before. This sanction of mass destruction of the youngest of American citizens received further "blessing" from Clinton and Gore when legislation banning the barbaric practice of murdering a child just seconds away from birth by an executioner (falsely identified as a doctor) was vetoed!
It was also under Clinton/Gore that the infamous abortion pill, RU-486, was legalized in the fall of 2000 just as the presidential campaign was beginning to get real hot -- what price do you believe politicans will ultimately pay when in their desperation they are willing to buy votes with the "blood of the innocents?"
3. It was under Clinton/Gore that the very unfair and unjust "death" and "marriage penalty" taxes continued because Clinton vetoed efforts to have them repealed and ended!
4. It was under Clinton/Gore that lying under oath became quite acceptable and one can get away with it because all Democratic senators plus some rogue Republicans voted "not guilty" in the matter of impeachment!
5. It was under Clinton/Gore that a plague of activist judges was appointed to the bench, including some to the U.S. Supreme Court. This bunch has systematically set out on a course to dismantle the U.S. Constitution with decisions that appear more qualified to have been handed down from inmates of an institution for the criminally insane!
6. It was under Clinton/Gore that the same gender coupling lifestyle was sanctioned and promoted with a zeal never known before! There was a massive "coming out" in church groups, the military, the TV and movie industries, the work place, educational systems, community organizations, and the political arena. Intense efforts have been launched to make any violent act against a gay/lesbian person a federal crime because it would be considered a "hate crime!" Isn't it fascinating how our unregenerate minds are so expert at sorting out violent acts against another human being with some qualifying as "federal" offenses while others are not nearly so serious and don't merit federal ranking? The parent can violently beat his child to death and that isn't a federal offense -- or better yet, a "doctor" (term used loosely) can violently dismember and kill an unborn child in the womb and make big bucks while doing so! Further, we are just a "tissue paper" wall away from having any speech that refers to the same gender coupling way of life in negative terms as falling into a "hate crime" category, in spite of the fact that such speech in most cases is based on Almighty God's clear revelation to us humans as to what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable sexual behavior! In God's view, same gender coupling practices are not merely considered a sin -- they are an abomination!
7. It was under Clinton/Gore that the national debt soared to over 5.6 trillion dollars! Clinton has been exuberant in taking credit for the nation's supposed "economic boom" and stating that there will be a budget surplus of over 1 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. Do we have a mathematician who can erase 5.6 trillion (it's almost a given that there will be an increase in the debt in the future beyond 5.6) with 1 + trillion dollars?
And of course no one can calculate just when God may judge the money "god" which has millions of devotees in its grasp ranging all the way from the players on Wall Street to a person flipping burgers in a fast food establishment. When that happens, forget surpluses, stocks and bonds, and fat bank accounts!
8. Under Clinton/Gore massive idolatry in many guises intensified as the nation was more and more conditioned to become very self-centered and self indulgent. See Popular Deities of American Culture Use reverse feature on your browser to return here.
And so in light of the excessive corruption of the Clinton/Gore years, again the question to be considered -- will George Bush be merely a King Josiah in modern garb, or will he be something more? Time will tell, and those who have a sensitivity as to God's dealings with past kingdoms and empires will be praying much and witnessing to His eternal truth, bearing in mind that the destiny of every nation is determined by its actions and appropriate responses from Almighty God Who at one time said,
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it."Jeremiah 18:5-10 (NKJV)
Return to The Bush League!
CR's Leap of Faith! OR Spread of CR's Range
Bird's Eye View of CR's Range
What's New on CR's Range?