Steven Garofalo
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PUPPET KINGS & PRESIDENTS FAIL BECAUSE THEY DEPEND ON MAN NOT GOD
By Steven Garofalo, October 1, 2024 (Copyright 2024)
October 04, 2024

Throughout history we find nations and leaders distorting the reigns of power in order to gain and or maintain power. Today, I am going to show you through God's Word that secular puppet leaders fail for once simple reason in that they trust in man's power instead of God's. Let's get started.

FAST FORWARD TO THE YEAR 2024

In the United States of America in the fall of 2024 (when I am writing this article), the United States is experiencing something internally that we used to fight against externally. That thing is "a puppet king", In our case, it's called a "puppet president". Nobody voted for the current president in power as I write this article on October 1, 2024. Puppet kings and puppet presidents never serve it's citizens well because they represent their own selfish interests and that of a very small group of individuals in power at the expense of the general population. The fact is that God does NOT approve of such a thing as made clear in the Book of Isaiah, chapter seven. Here we find this exact thing happening and get the benefit of reading God's direct response as to why a puppet king or president is wrong and why it will fail. Let's lay the groundwork before we read God's respond. This is what Isaiah 7:1-2 says for context.

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz

"In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind" (Isaiah 7:1-2 ESV)

BETTER CONTEXT

In order to fully understand what is going on in this passage, we must look at 2 Kings as well as 2 Chronicles. Kings 16:5-18 and 2 Chronicles 28:5-21 record the historical background of this very chapter of Isaiah 7.

WHAT IS HAPPENING 

What is happening is that Syria and Ephraim (the 10 northern tribes of Israel) rebelled against their overlord, Assyria, and were attempting to force Judah into their alliance, even if it meant deposing Ahaz and substituting a PUPPET KING, the son of Tabeel (v.6). Isaiah 7:6 says: "Let us go up against Judah and terrify it and let us conquer it for ourselves and SET UP THE SON OF TABEEL AS KING in the midst of it..." (v.6)

GOD'S RESPONSE TO THE PUPPET KING

God responds to the evil plan of deposing the king and substituting a puppet king-leader is very, very clear. This is what says through His prophet Isaiah: "It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass, and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty0five years Ephraim will be SHATTERED from being a people" (Isaiah 7:7-8)

CONCLUSION

The bottom line as to why puppet kings and presidents fail is simple in that they and those in power trust in their own power and reject, ignore and rebel against God's authority and will. This is made evident in Isaiah Chapter 7 with Syria and Ephraim (the 10 northern tribes of Israel) who rebelled against their overlord, Assyria and were attempting to force Judah into their alliance, even if it meant deposing Ahaz and substituting a puppet king, the son of Tabeel (v.6).

Thousands of years ago Isaiah saw a political crisis in the attempt to install a "puppet king-leader". As the election nears with the United States election in November of 2024, we find the same exact crises between man's will and that of God's. WHY is this wrong in God's eyes besides being full of selfish ambition, evil, sinful and against God's people? The reason is was loudly wrong in God's eyes is because (in Isaiah 7) Ahaz was TRUSTING MAN'S POWER rather than God's. The same is true for the USA and the world in large part in 2024.

Hang on because we have some a bit of a bumpy road ahead of us in the United States, Europe and much of the West. That being said, we can rest assured that God is in control and doing one simple thing, which is drawing His people back to Him. As a nation, we once trusted in God's power, but in our affluence, influence, military might and attitude, we have departed from God and His ways. We now trust in our own (man's) power rather than God's, but as we read in God's Word, that is always temperal. You can be assured of one thing in that we are on a journey back to God. And it will get worst before it gets better. As such, lets seek God's wisdom and direction as to how we as individual Christians are to serve God and be part of the New Christian world God is raising; out of the remnant and ashes of a man-centered Christian religion into a people of authentic Christ centered faith.

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DO PETS GO TO HEAVEN?

When I was in seminary, the question was raised as to if pets or animals in general go to heaven. Our professor, Dr. Norman Geisler said this: “Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the Cross for the human race, not animals.” I was working out at the gym one day when one of the regulars, who had just moved to Charlotte, NC from California told me that one of her beloved dogs died; and would that dog go to heaven. I have her the same answer. But, was that the whole story? That’s what we are going to look at today.

In a peace by Michael Housman, Founder of GotQuestions.Org, Housman wrote that “The BIble does not give any explicit teaching on whether pets or animals in general have souls, or spirits, or whether pets and other animals will be in heaven.

His answer was short but the animals not having souls maybe up for debate.

We can use general biblical principles to develop some clarity on the subject though Housman wrote. The Bible states that both man (Genesis 2:7) and animals (Genesis 1:30; 6:17; 7:15 and 22) have the “BREATH OF LIFE” that is, both man and animals are living beings. Furthermore, the primary difference between human beings and animals is that humanity is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), while animals are not.

Being made in the image and likeness of God means that human beings are like God in some ways; they are capable of spirituality; they have a mind, emotion, and “will”; and part of their “being” continues after death.

If pets and other animals do have a “soul” (or spirit or immaterial aspect), it must therefore be of a different and lesser “quality”. This difference possibly means that pets and other animal “souls”  do not continue in existence after death.

Another factor to consider regarding whether pets will be in heaven is that animals are a port of God’s creative process in Genesis. God created the animals and said they were good (Genesis 1:25). Therefore, there is no reason why there could not be pets and animals on the NEW EARTH as described in (Revelation 21:1). 

In the end, there will most definitely be animals during the millennial kingdom (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25). It is impossible to say definitely whether some animals of these animals might be the pets we had here on earth. We do know that God is just and that when we get to heaven, we will find ourselves in complete agreement with His decision on this issue, whatever that turns out to be.

So, there you have it. I think that’s the best answer on the subject in all honest. Please remember to SUBSCRIBE to our channel and check out StevenGarofalo.Com for exclusive content and early release of our two weekly podcast.

Until next time, I’m your host Steven Garofalo, and this is your reason for truth for today.

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AN ETHICAL ECONOMY IS GOOD FOR ALL
By Steven Garofalo, May 2, 2025

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ECONOMY

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Today, I am going to show you through Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 that vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, will devour one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Let’s get started.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor is an interesting subject in light of wealth, corruption, and the human heart. This subject effects many things, including what makes a good economy. 

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses eight to nine, Solomon says the following:

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9
“8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

COMMENTARY: There are two things king Solomon is saying here within the theme of the vanity of WEALTH and HONOR. Wealth and honor are two different things, as one can have wealth with or without honor or honor with or without wealth. That being said, let’s look at verses 8 and 9 independently to see the simple message God provides us today through Solomon.

BREAK DOWN
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY & WEALTH
 “8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them." 

COMMENTARY: Verse 8 clearly illustrates that there is a corruption at every level of government, with higher level oppressors plundering the equally oppressive lower-level magistrates. This perhaps explains the st state of America and the world. With blackmail running. Rampant and the public sector unchecked, they have been robbing the everyday citizen of their hard earned money. As a result, the system became insulated and division between the haves and have nots became more defined. When the high level government officials rob and abuse those below them, someone above that person robs and abuses the higher level person himself.

In America, where we print money out of thin air for the world, in this short period of history, there is little need to plunder those under one authority because there is so much to steal that those in authority can simply pay them off or blackmail them; whichever is most convenient. Either way, Solomon makes abundantly clear that when there is nobody minding the ship, evil perpetuates to the point of overtaking the government in whole. As a result, we end up with a 2024 government, riddles with corruption, immorality, blackmail, lawlessness, and all other things evil due to the lack of God-ness which equates to “goodness”. 

Economically speaking, when this happens to a country, its own economy begins to decline into debt due to their insatiable desire and emotional need for more money and resources. When resources are stripped and money is squandered, the elite few are smart enough to collect those resources and money and we end up with a U.S. Stock Market where only 5% holds up to 80%  of the entire market wealth. 

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
The answer and solution is to keep to return to the system we created in the first place which is free market capitalism that allows those who desire to work hard, to have a fair chance at success, making money and turning a fair profit. This is called “honor for everyone”.

HONOR FOR EVERYONE
"9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

CONCLUSION:

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, devours one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Solomon (Qohelet) considered goverment to be frustrating becuase it was a necessary evil, something deply flawed but indespsnsible. On the one hand people sould "not be shocked" when they see OPPRESSION and injustice in a governmental province (v.8). After all, bloated government bureaucracy tends to frustrate justice (v.8b). On the other hand, government has it advantages (v.9). Many hold to the belief that this verse continues the negeative assessment of government. Others see this passage better understood more positively since it fits with Qohelet's normal pattern of "on the one hand, on the other.." way of teaching. 

Even a corrupt government is better than anarchy, which devastates a country, it's culture and in Solomon's time, an agrarian economy that would lead to starvation. Keeping to God's ways is the only solution to man's sinful nature; especially in governmental rule. In the end, a king who devotes himself to developing the resources of the land ushers in a systems that brings the opportunity for profit to all, not just the corrupt few.

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SOLA SCRIPTURA
A Protestant & Catholic View Comparison

I grew up Catholic and now go to a Protestant or non-Catholic church in Charlotte, NC. Michael Houdmann, Founder and CEO of GotQuestions.Org writes that a major difference between the two boils down to believing in the Bible alone as God's word verses believing that God's word plus man's input as the divine inspired word of God.

WHAT DO PROTESTANTS BELIEVE?

A major difference is the issue of sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God's special revelation to mankind, it also speaks to everything we need to understand as necessary for our salvation from sin.

Protestants view the Bible as the STANDARD for Christian morality and ethics which governs our behavior. This is called sola scripture and is one of the five Solas in Christianity. (Solas meaning "alone" in Latin. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 makes clear that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV).

WHAT DO CATHOLICS BELIEVE?

Catholics do not believe in sola scriptura hence do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They see both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition as equally authoritative and binding on the Christian. While not all Catholics hold to doctrines such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc., the Catholic doctrine hold to them even though they have little or no mention or basis in the Bible. In truth, these doctrines are based on Roman Catholic traditions based on the Catholic Church's insistence that the Bible and tradition are equal in authority. The problem with this is that it undermines the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

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