Marc Breault Ramblings

I have many interests ranging from religion to NFL football. This is a place where I ramble on about whatever I feel like rambling about.

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Weird Song of the Week - God Save the . . . um . . . King

 God Save the . . . um . . . King

Friday 16 September 2022

At various times during our Weird Song journey, I have covered National Anthems and weird facts about them, such as the French National Anthem first being sung as such in German and the National Anthem of the United States beginning life as a drinking song. With the death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England, it is only appropriate that I cover the National Anthem of Liechtenstein.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0LbLVprZNE

Yes, it has the same melody as God Save the King which is what you thought I would link to.  Their anthem is entitled Oben am jungen Rhein which is Up at the Young Rhein in English.

Instead of focusing on England, we could discuss the Royal Anthem of Norway.  The Royal Anthem of Norway is titled Kongesangen which is King’s Song in English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEqaHuLTuCQ

This is beautiful.  The choir is magnificent in this clip.  The Royal Anthem of Norway is played to honor its king.  It differs from the national anthem of Norway, which is Ja, vi elsker dette landet or Yes We Love This Country or Yes We Love this Land

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr3HJIp9cvY

This clip shows some nice scenery from Norway.  I have been there, and I can say truly that Norway is a beautiful country.  I mean, there are places where you can point your camera at random with your eyes closed and get a great postcard shot.  It’s unbelievable.  I can understand why one would love this country.  And we also have another beautiful choir rendition.

In what can only be described as one of the greatest historical ironic twists of all time, eil dir im Siegerkranz was the national anthem of the German Empire from 1871 to the end of World War I in 1918.  To be honest, I’m unsure how to translate this title into English.  I’m going to say Hail to You with your Victory Wreath.  Google Translate completely messes this up with “Hurry up in the Wreath of Victory” so I assumed translation control here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_1SbOoPS2U

Folks you just can’t make this stuff up if you tried!  Imagine that during World War I, both sides sang the same melody as their National Anthem.

But who exactly wrote God Save the King?  Perhaps we should actually ask where the melody came from since it is obviously used all over the world.  As an American, I sang this melody ever since I can remember.  We call our song My Country ‘Tis of Thee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKj7FLg3WVA

I’m doing choirs today in case you haven’t noticed.  I remember watching the Rugby at a sports bar between England and the United States.  When the British anthem was sung, another American and I sung our lyrics.  Normally, the English fans there would probably have not been amused, but they knew they would smash the Eagles into oblivion, so they didn’t mind.

During the 19th century, many scholars thought this old Scottish tune Remember O Thou Man was the inspiration behind the melody.  You can hear the similarity, but this tune is sung in a minor key whereas God Save the King is sung in a major key.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlwY_3WDJSM

What we can say for sure is the earliest music and lyrics appear in 1745.  According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the work first appeared in a gentleman’s magazine. 

Beethoven liked the melody.  He wrote seven variations on it in 1803.  Here is his Seven Variations on God Save the King.  He had a publisher in Edenborough he sent the work to, and this is how England was honored by the great man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vx-sYGR-dA

But not everyone has treated this melody with respect.  Liverpool fans have been especially vitriolic through the years with regard to the National Anthem.  Here they are booing it at an FA Cup Finals match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7GxCrdNggA

Their fans even went so far as to give new words to the anthem.  Here is the latest incarnation of God Save our Team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKYcjX9CTvU

I do not normally get political here, but I included these two disgraceful examples of disrespect, disgraceful in my opinion, so I could call it out as disgraceful, but also address a National Anthem controversy we have in the United States.  I hope English readers are still with me here, but I’ll make things right shortly.  In the US, football player Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel during the National Anthem before games to protest the treatment of African Americans by the police.  His actions really put Black Lives Matter into the national consciousness.  Black Lives Matter existed before Kaepernick, but he gave it a national voice.  Controversy raged as to whether his actions were appropriate or not.  In America, kneeling during the national anthem is perfectly legal.  You can also legally disrespect the anthem.  But in the United States, custom and, in this case, the corporate advertising dollar, does not look kindly on such behavior.  Sponsors threatened to cut their sponsorship to the NFL (National Football League) if it allowed Kaepernick to continue to do this.  His actions so outraged millions, they refused to buy products from companies who sponsored the NFL.

Jerry Jones, the owner of my beloved Dallas Cowboys, put his foot down and said that any player who disrespected the anthem was out.  Period.  They could make their political statements before or after, but never during.  But on the other side you had millions of Americans who supported Kaepernick and who still do.  He was and is still seen as a champion for justice for African Americans.  He is currently suing the NFL for preventing him to progress his career as a quarterback because he exercised his First Amendment right to free speech.  Kaepernick was an OK quarterback, not great, but pretty good.  I think he will win his lawsuit.

Here is where I stand on this issue.  I completely agree with Kaepernick’s cause, but I do not agree with kneeling during the National Anthem.  I do not agree with expressing your political views during the National Anthem.  I think it is disgraceful.  My view is the National Anthem provides an opportunity for everyone who belongs to a country to put their differences aside for a couple of minutes and remind themselves they are one.  I vehemently oppose Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.  But even when Trump was president, I would gladly stand side-by-side with any American and respect the flag and the country.  We have plenty of time to argue later, but during the anthem, we are one people and hopefully, if we remember this, then we will also remember that the purpose of argument is progress, not victory.

I understand Liverpool residents have their issues.  Their disaffection goes back to the 1970’s and perhaps they have legitimate concerns.  But to boo the National Anthem is disgraceful in my opinion.  Liverpool the city would not last five minutes as an independent country, and they need to remember this.  I understand why Colin Kaepernick did what he did.  His action to kneel was not as disgraceful, but I wish he had chosen another mechanism.  Eventually, NFL teams knelt prior to the anthem, and this led to FIFA asking teams to go to one knee for the same cause.  That’s fine, but I do not like political statements made during the anthem.

With regard to political protests during the anthem I think we need to ask ourselves one simple question.  How would I feel if someone with repugnant political views, that is, repugnant to my way of thinking, protested?  Much of the American media praised Kaepernick’s actions because most of the media agreed with Black Lives Matter.  But if a white nationalist extremist from Aryan Nation had knelt to express his belief that the white race was being overrun, would the media have been so kind?  I think not.  So I apply a kind of golden rule.  If I don’t want someone to protest during the anthem, I will not either.

The people of England have been singing God Save the Queen for 70 years.  This will need to change now, as well as their currency and a lot of other things.  Australia, where I live, has a lot of changing to do as well.  New currency must be minted.  One thing I did not know is that on our currency, each new monarch must face in a different direction.  King Charles III will therefore face left on new Australian currency which is due out next year I think.

Amid all the ceremony and tradition both in England and here in Australia, and I must say I find this fascinating as one who loves history because I have never witnessed a new monarch before, I couldn’t help but wonder if The Sex Pistols would release a new version of their song God Save the Queen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqrAPOZxgzU

This is a punk protest song.  I do not have a problem with free speech.  This is not done during the National Anthem and England is a democracy which allows freedom of expression regardless of whether you like it or not.  So long as they don’t encourage violence, I think it is OK.  And no, I do not believe England has been ruled by a fascist regime at any time during Elizabeth II’s reign.

Generally speaking, however, God Save the King, wow it’s going to take a while to get used to typing/saying/singing this, is loved throughout the world.  Even the Russian Empire got into the act.  Here is the imperial anthem of said empire from 1816 to 1833.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqwHvkFpw08

And yes, we have another choir.  As I said before, nobody does choirs better than the Russians. . .oh and the Welsh too.  I mustn’t forget the Welsh.

And now, for the real kicker.  God Save the King has never been officially proclaimed as the National Anthem of England, not by decree, and not by any act of Parliament.  This means England does not have an official National Anthem.  God Save the King has filled this role by custom and we see it sung at sporting events.  OK, we haven’t seen it sung at sporting events for 70 years, but we will start to see it sung from now on.  Man this is going to take some getting used to!  Well, at least that is what I thought, but God Save the King is not sung during home international cricket matches.  Instead, it is Jerusalem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FffymEphx7E

And here is a spontaneous rendition by cricket fans after the pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPDKmR71zaE

There are moves afoot to have an official National Anthem of England and there are a number of suggestions.  I speak as one who is not English.  Are you serious?  When I think of the English National Anthem I always think of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTFYYi53tbo

which is always sung at all English Rugby Union matches.  OK, I don’t actually think that should be the anthem but if you know the story behind why this is sung, who knows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0azAOSE1eA

Here is an interesting analysis of Sing Low Sweet Chariot and how it became part of the fabric of English Rugby.  My take is that England also had slavery.  England also separated black players from white players.  When I hear this song sung at English Rugby matches, I can understand many people do not know the history of this song, but to me, what I see is black and white working together and this is ultimately what we want.  On the pitch, it doesn’t matter what race you are or where you came from.  You are one team.  If this reminds us to think the same way regarding country, then singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot is a good thing in my opinion.  Swing Low Sweet Chariot reminds me it was not always that way and I choose to believe this is why a lot of people sing this song.  But I can understand why some people may not feel this way.  As you can see, the songs we sing can foster feeling

Getting back to the melody for God Save the King, the Swiss certainly like this tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CvFIs_36oA

Their rendition is called Rufst du, mein Vaterland which I believe means You Call My Fatherland.  This was the de facto Swiss National Anthem until 1961 when it was replaced by this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfDpRzN2SBI

OK, I’m better now because we’re back to a choir.  Rufst du, mein Vaterland was written in the 19th century for Swiss artillery troops.

So England has a de facto National Anthem and since it is so synonymous with England, someone should just make it official already.  Perhaps King Charles III can do that.  And now, at long last, here is the sort of National Anthem of England.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4watYeSbWLs

This song has not been sung in 70 years.  This is absolutely amazing.  I have wound my way through several countries, and I could have gone to many more.  God Save the King or, God Save the Queen as it has been for my entire life, has one of the weirdest histories of all the world’s anthems.  Out of respect to all my English friends, I say with all sincerity, Long Live King Charles III. 

 

 

My Immigration Plan for the USA

I have two proposals to handle the immigration problem in the US.  I am OK with being told I am insane, but we have to start somewhere.  My plan has two parts which I will call the Haiti Plan and the Second I’ll call the North & Central America plan or NCAP.

Before I discuss these two separate elements to the plan let me state what I think should be the goal of USA immigration policy.  Our policy should emphasize making as many people happy in their own countries as possible so as to lessen their desire to immigrate, while ensuring adequate levels of skilled labor still enter the country, as well as fulfilling our UN obligations for refugees.  I will emphasize keeping as many people as happy as possible in their own countries with my plan.  Suffice to say what we are doing now does not work.

The Haiti Plan:  Put simply, make Haiti and other similar countries a US Territory.  If the people vote for this, and I think they would, this will solve many problems.  Chief among these is that it would increase our ability to provide stable government and increase the levels of prosperity.  Places like Haiti have shown for decades they do not provide stable government that takes care of their population.  We simply cannot help Haiti on a long-term basis while they still rule.  I suspect most Haitians would love to be a territory of the US.  I think if we can manage it, Cuba is another candidate, and I am all for regime change if this can be managed peacefully.

NCAP involves forming something like the EU with respect to work and trade.  I’m not sure we extend this to currency but if we did, the dollar would have to be the currency and not a new currency because the USD is the world currency despite people who say otherwise.  Although not perfect, the EU did a pretty good job lifting old Soviet block countries out of the hole.  I think many Americans don’t realize how deep that hole was.  NCAP would allow more freedom for workers.  Let us face reality.  The US needs migrant workers to do jobs we don’t want to do.  This is primarily true in agriculture.  NCAP would allow the US to fly workers in from other countries, make more money than they do in their own countries, then fly them back when the harvest season is over.  This is a win-win situation.  Here in Australia, we fly Pacific Islanders in to harvest crops.  They make more money than they ever would back in the islands.  Then we fly them back.  The only reason we allow any Pacific Islander to migrate here permanently is if they are good Rugby Union players.  Joking aside, this works for everyone, and we even had to make pandemic exceptions to fly people in to prevent our crops from rotting on the plants.  NCAP could force better regulatory frameworks on poorer countries, and I expect Canada, the USA, and Mexico would be dominant players.  And if we can add Brazil, which of course is in South America, we can regulate forestation like the EU does.  Yes, the EU had to fight corruption in poorer countries, but overall, things improved.

We must acknowledge two things.  First, what we are doing now does not work.  People want to migrate.  Second, climate change will make matters worse as is being demonstrated already.  The US needs to take a more decisive role in poorer countries and doing so will benefit everyone.  These two plans are high level and there would be many details to work through.  But I think this approach is a sound one in principle.

Sunday, September 11, 2022

The Identity of the 7th Head

 The Identity of the 7th Head

After I published my article showing the 4th beast of Daniel 7 is not Rome, a number of people have asked who it is.  I also stated that we as SDAs have much to unlearn.  Perhaps we can unlearn while we learn.  With this in mind, let us look at some aspects of the beast.

What is the Battle of Armageddon All About?

The SDA church fails to incorporate Israel into prophecy because of a wrong Ellen White prediction made in 1856.  I’ll look at this wrong prediction in more detail some other time.  This results in many SDAs failing to read and understand the plain statements of scripture.  Put in modern terms, the battle of Armageddon is a battle between the forces of earth trying to repel and invasion from the sky.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. (Revelation 19:19).

The beast fights against the man on the white horse and his armies.  Revelation 19:11-16 tells us quite clearly that those armies come down from heaven.  We are also told in Revelation 16:12-16 that the armies of earth were assembled at a place known as Armageddon (Harmageddon in some English translations).  This is a known place in Israel.  Some people say Armageddon is a spiritual battle but those who say this must then explain all the great detail given in the Bible in spiritual terms.  This can only lead to guessing games.  Revelation 16 also tells us this is the battle of the great day of the Lord which we call the second coming.  Revelation 19 also informs us that the man on the white horse treads the winepress of God’s wrath.  (Revelation 19:15).

Revelation 14 talks about the treading of the winepress.

 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.  Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.”  So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God.  And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles. (Revelation 14:17-20 emphasis is mine).

 

Outside what city is the winepress trodden? 

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. (Joel 3:13-15 emphasis is mine).

 

It should be clear that the Joel passage speaks of the same event as the Revelation 14:17-20 passage, which speaks of the same event as the Revelation 19 passage. If you read Joel 3 from 3:1, it is clear Jerusalem is the city outside which the winepress is trodden.  If you compare Daniel 11:45 and Joel 2:20, you will also see that the invading army is located in Israel.  If you read Joel 2 in its entirety, you see that the Lord has his army as well as the “northern army” driven out in 2:20.

The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice at the head of his army; how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command. Truly the day of the Lord is great; terrible indeed—who can endure it?  (Joel 2:10-11 emphasis is mine).

 

My series of articles began as an effort on my part to show the role of extraterrestrials in last day events.  While some may not wish to classify God and the host of heaven as extraterrestrials, I think I have shown conclusively that the battle of Armageddon is not a world war between human nations.  It is instead a war of the armies of earth under the control of the beast to repel and invasion from heaven led by the Messiah, the one who is to rule the earth with a rod of iron.  (See Revelation 19:15).

 

Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed [anointed in Hebrew is Messiah] saying, “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.(Psalm 2:1-9) emphasis is mine).

 

In Psalm 2 we have all the elements we have discussed.  The rulers of earth consciously gather themselves against God and his Messiah.  They fight against the Messiah who will rule the earth with a rod of iron.  Note that the LXX rendition uses rule rather than break which is why Revelation uses the word rule.  If you continue to read the Psalm you see that God encourages the nations to accept the rule of the Messiah which agrees with Daniel 7:12 discussed in my last article that after the beast is destroyed, the other three beasts are allowed to live.

When the beast gathers the armies of earth together, the beast tells them an invasion from the sky is imminent and the people of earth must repel that invasion.  This shows that the people of earth are open to the idea of an invasion from the heavens.

What is the Territory of the Beast?

And the beast that I saw was like a leopard [Rome], its feet were like a bear’s [Greece], and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth [Persia]. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. (Revelation 13:2).

This is actually pretty straightforward.  I have put in brackets the identifications I made with the beasts of Daniel 7 in that I said the lion = Persia, the bear = Greece, and the leopard = Rome.  We are then looking at a power which extends to England in the west although technically, Rome did not conquer all of England.  It extends as far north as Germany, but not Scandinavia.  It goes as far east as Persia and to the borders with India, and it goes as far south as Egypt and North Africa, and the Sudan.  This includes both Christian and Muslim countries.  Daniel 7 tells us the beast devours.  I believe the king of the north devouring the king of the south shows us the beast acquiring all of this territory.

We learned in the last article that Babylon differs from the beast and that the beast turns on her and wipes her out.  We established this is a known geographic region which cannot include the territory of the beast.  And finally, we have the kings of the east mentioned in Revelation 16.  So in the last days we see three primary powers:  Babylon the Great, the beast, and the kings of the east.

Gog and Magog

Now we get to the prophecy of Gog and Magog which is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39.  Before we dissect this, I want to quote two passages which show conclusively this prophecy deals with end times.

Be ready and keep ready, you and all the companies that are assembled around you, and hold yourselves in reserve for them. After many days you shall be mustered; in the latter years you shall go against a land restored from war, a land where people were gathered from many nations on the mountains of Israel, which had long lain waste; its people were brought out from the nations and now are living in safety, all of them.  You shall advance, coming on like a storm; you shall be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.    (Ezekiel 38:7-9 emphasis is mine).

As for you, mortal, thus says the Lord God: Speak to the birds of every kind and to all the wild animals: Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood.  You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.  You shall eat fat until you are filled, and drink blood until you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you.  And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with warriors and all kinds of soldiers, says the Lord God.(Ezekiel 39:17-20).

Compare Ezekiel 39:17-20 with Revelation 19:17-18).  Both passages speak of the same event.  It is Ezekiel that gives us the identity of the 7th head of Revelation.  All of the nations mentioned in 38-39 were known to people of Ezekiel’s time.  They refer to what we would term as Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and other nations from that area.  We also learn from Ezekiel 38 that Persia and Libya and Ethiopia form part of this army. 

Russia and the various countries around that area form a new part of the territory because none of the powers of Persia, Greece, or Rome conquered that region.    It is also clear from Ezekiel 38 that Gog is the leader of the invasion.  Since Gog is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and since these people expanded into what we know of as Russia and Ukraine and a few other Black Sea bordering nations, Ezekiel’s prophecy is very clear.

When we combine this information with the fact it is the beast who fights against God and Christ, we can now clearly see three facts.

1.       The beast consists of the territory held by the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires.  This includes much of Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Iran, and North Africa.  It also includes Black Sea countries such as Russia, Ukraine and so forth.

2.       It is the Russian component that takes the lead.  Since each of the beast’s heads are the leaders, we can now say that Russia, or technically a Black Sea state, though Russia is the most logical candidate, with its leader comprises the 7th head of the beast.

By this I predict that Europe and Russia, along with several countries will unite.  I do not believe this means Putin will win the current war in Ukraine.  In fact, I believe the opposite.  This is because Babylon the Great, the great prostitute rides the beast first.  This means the system of trade and economy which characterizes Babylon rules first.  I believe this means that eventually, Russia will go western.  If a post Putin regime has an open mind, this is the logical thing for Russia to do.  This is what Putin should have done all along.  Instead, Putin has alienated Europe.  Eventually, Russia will ally itself more with Europe and I would also expect many smaller countries influenced by Russia to make their own deals with Europe.

                Meanwhile, Europe will rearm itself, but they can only do this if they allow Germany to rearm itself.  Only then can Europe be a dominant military power without United States influence.  Daniel gives us much more detail about how this confederation comes about but I will explore this next time.

I will end with one final thought.  Our church either says the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 will not come to pass because Israel failed to meet the conditions of obedience, or the whole thing is spiritual.  It does this to protect Ellen White.  If you want to spiritualize Gog and Magog, you have to spiritualize all the nations listed, along with all the detail listed.  It is about time we allow the Bible to explain itself.

Notes and Commentary

One objection to my use of Revelation 14:17-20 is the obvious exaggeration around the amount of blood.  To imagine a lake of blood with a radius of 200 miles to the depth of a horse’s bridle is to imagine an impossibility.  Since this should obviously not be taken literally, the entire passage is symbolic and therefore my literal application is erroneous.   My answer to this is that the amount of blood is clearly hyperbole.  Hyperbole, especially around slaughter, is a common device in apocalyptic literature.  Many people today do not realize that an apocalypse was a well-known type of literature much in the same manner science fiction is a well-known type of literature in our time.  In such literature, such hyperbole was a known an understood device used to convey the awesome magnitude of destruction.  Those who read Revelation understood this as hyperbole.  In all such cases, the events around which the hyperbole is used are literal events.  Thus, God will literally destroy a lot of people and this destruction will be unbelievably massive in terms of scale, and will be like treading a winepress.

The Ellen White prediction I refer to is her famous 1856 prediction which reads as follows.

I was shown the company present at the conference.  Said the angel: “Some food for worms, some subjects of the seven last plagues, some will be alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus. (Testimonies for the Church vol 1. Pp. 131-132).

The SDA church’s attempt to defend this prediction is a case of the cure being worse than the disease.