I watched
the movie “Last Ounce of Courage” with my family Memorial Day evening, and I
was struck with the wisdom and insight of Ronald Reagan as shown by the quotes
used at the beginning and end of the movie.
It opened with the following quote.
“Freedom is
never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our
children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have
known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it, and then hand it to them
with the well-fought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the
same. And if you and I don’t do this,
then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our
children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free.”
Ronald
Reagan
1961
The sad
thing to me is, as depicted in the movie, some of our worst enemies are those
that live among us. It seems that those
in leadership today have totally lost the vision of our founding fathers and
are determined to ignore the safeguards contained therein.
“We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...That whenever any
Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the
People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its
foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to
them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness….when a long train of abuses and
usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce
them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw
off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Declaration
of Independence
It was
interesting to me to note that among the many complaints made against the King
of Great Britain that prompted them to seek independence included the
following: “He has erected a multitude of New
Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out
their substance.”
I am truly
saddened at the moral decay occurring so rapidly in America today. Without a doubt, it is because society at large
has rejected the biblical principles upon which our nation was founded. When I was in public elementary school, just
a few decades ago, we were still memorizing scripture and being instructed in
bible classes.
Since the
rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948, the spiritual forces of wickedness
have grown in influence at a rapidly increasing pace. The results of such influence in our
government and education system support the destruction of our morals and our
understanding of what is right and wrong.
No longer is the right to life a sacred privilege. Quickly disappearing are the moral standards
that protect the innocent and ignorant from sexual abuse and/or
exploitation. The final blow will come
when our so-called freedom of religious expression is only valid for those who
do not cling to biblical truth.
Though I am
grieved, I realize that this is all in accordance with biblical prophecy. I do not know how much longer before the Lord
determines that the time for judgment is ripe, but I will be greatly surprised
if it is not in my lifetime.
The
following quote from Reagan was shown at the end of the movie.
“You and I
have a rendezvous with destiny. We can
preserve for our children, this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we can
sentence this generation of young people to take the first step into a thousand
years of darkness. If we are destined to
fail, if this way of ours is to be lost, then at least, let our children and
our children’s children say of us that it didn’t fail because we failed to
try. Let them say that at least we did
all that could be done in the one moment allotted us here on earth.”
Ronald
Reagan 1964
I agree with Mr. Reagan that we have a rendezvous
with destiny, and that we are accountable for the future we leave our children. The truth is that we are fighting a losing
battle because judgment is coming. There
is coming a day when the Lord will take away the Holy Spirit and those in whom
He dwells, and all hell will literally break loose on earth. The Lord is going to allow Satan one last
hurrah. For a seven-year period the
people of the world will turn to the man that they think is their savior, but
he will prove to be their greatest nightmare.
He will rise to power on a platform of peace, but will end up ruling as
a despot.
All is not lost, however. At the end of that seven years the Lord Jesus
will return as the conquering King of kings to destroy all the wicked and
establish His throne in Jerusalem to rule over the whole world with righteousness.
If you do not know Him as your Lord and Savior and
possess the indwelling Holy Spirit, all you need to do is repent of your sin
and turn to Him in faith.
Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Even so, Come Lord Jesus!
