Greetings. This is Dan White with Homeschool Helpers.
Most people do not see themselves as part of history. They take a
small view of what they are doing, not the large view. But we are
all part of history, some more noticeable than others.
The homeschool movement and the homosexual movement have arisen in the
United States in the last generation. They are both notable
movements and part of the important history of the country.
In discussing this history, we will go back to Solomon's temple.
On the ninth of Av in 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed it. Most
of the Jews were carried out of the Holy Land in three waves.
Seventy years after the first deporting, the temple was rebuilt in
Jerusalem. Then in 70 AD, this temple was destroyed by the
Romans, on the ninth of Av. In 135 AD, after another Jewish
revolt, the Romans plowed up the city of Jerusalem, rebuilt it, renamed
it, and again expelled the Jews from their country.
From that time on, the Jews were wanderers without a country.
For centuries many Jews lived in Spain under the Muslim Moors. In
1492, Ferdinand and Isabella retook Spain for the Roman Catholics and
expelled the Muslims. They also expelled all the Jews. That
was the time of the Spanish Inquisition and terrible torture and
killing. The last Jews left Spain on the ninth of Av. The
next day Columbus left Spain for his first trip to America.
From there, many Jews went farther north into Europe, into Germany,
Poland and Russia. They faced periodic persecutions, or
pogroms. Whatever country they were in, they never had a
country. Finally Hitler exterminated six million Jews in World
War II. That was about half the Jewish population in the world.
1945 was possibly the lowest point in all of Jewish history. Half
their population was eliminated. Many of those remaining had lost
family. They often had no homes to go back to, because they were
still widely hated throughout Europe.
Then, by 1948, just three years later, the Jews had their own
country. They again were the nation of Israel, in Israel, God's
Holy Land.
This infant nation was immediately attacked by the surrounding Arab
Muslim nations, but the fledgling country defeated them. They
were attacked again in 1967 and 1973 and again prevailed. They
have been under repeated threats and attacks by the Muslims ever since.
In the 1967 war Israel regained the site of the temple mount. It
had been 1900 years from the time that the Romans first began to
besiege Jerusalem in 67 AD until the time that the Jews again regained
the temple area.
All of this was according to God's plan. He had promised the Holy
Land to Abraham. Even though God had kicked Israel out for a
while, -- a long while -- at some point He had to keep His promise to
obedient Abraham.
At the time that the Jews regained the temple mount, there were almost
no Jewish believers in Christ, or Y'shua, as His name actually
is. It has been said there were only four Messianic Jewish
congregations in the world then. But from that time, for the
first time in 1900 years, some Jews began to accept Y'shua as their
Messiah and Savior. The earliest church were all Israelites and
were commandment keepers. For Jews to accept Christ after
centuries of persecution by the Roman church was miraculous.
Today there are hundreds of Messianic congregations in the United
States, and it is estimated there are from a half million to a million
Jewish believers in the world. This is extraordinary.
Almost none for nineteen hundred years, then hundreds of thousands in
one generation. Like the Pharisees in Acts 15, these Jews carry
some Judaism with them, but they do accept Christ.
This is according to the plan of God. Christ is drawing His
people to Him.
America has always been a second homeland for the Jews. Most of
these American Jews are not very religious and have joined in the
movement to turn America away from its Christian foundations.
Four out of every five American Jews vote for the left wing. At
about the same time that God gave the temple mount back to Israel, the
US courts began to expel the God of the Bible from the nation's public
schools. These schools had always included the Bible, the Ten
Commandments and prayer, but the courts ruled that all these were
unconstitutional. The lawyers and judges expelled God from the
public schools of America. Americans did not choose this.
This was forced on them by the judicial branch of government.
Like Hitler and Stalin, the American anti-Christian movement realized
that to change a nation they must teach its young people what they want
them to believe. For nearly forty years now they have done
that. The oldest group of Americans is about two thirds
Christian. Of today's public school graduates, over 90% reject
Christ.
This anti-Christian movement began with evolution and continued with
the rulings against God and the Bible. Today it reaches its
natural progression in the homosexual movement. The government's
judicial and legislative branches are now declaring that public school
children must be taught to approve homosexuality. Now when people
accept the public schools, they are accepting homosexuality. With
these public school graduates, the homosexual movement will come into
full power.
At about the same time that the Jews regained the temple mount, and
some Jews began to accept Christ, the homeschool movement began in
America. At first it was a movement of leftover hippies.
They moved away from the urban culture to a simpler back-to-the-land
life, and homeschooling was a part of that. Quickly, though, the
homeschool movement was taken over by conservative Christians who would
not stand for the immoral trend of the government schools.
Today it is estimated that about two and a half million students in
America are homeschooled. Almost all of these are conservative
Christians of varied denominational beliefs. They have produced
graduates who believe in Christ and try to follow Him to whatever
degree.
This, too, is a move of God. Just as God brought the Jews back to
the Holy Land, and just as He is now bringing many Jews to accept the
risen Christ, so He is lifting Christians above their churches to look
directly to Christ. Overwhelmingly America's Christian churches
have not stood against the growing immorality in the schools and in the
country. They have not stood against the destruction of the
family. They have not stood against the loss of their
youth. Now they are not standing against homosexuality in
America.
Christian homeschool parents have been willing to make a stand,
legally, financially and morally. They have gone over the heads
of their do-nothing churches to look directly to Christ. Among
these families and young people are those who Christ is drawing closer
to Himself, as His return nears and He gathers His flock. Just as
He is drawing the Messianic Jews to Him, so He is drawing the Messianic
Christians. These are people who are dedicated first and foremost
to following the Messiah directly. Even if the government
doesn't, even if the churches don't, they will seek to follow
personally the risen Christ.
While the public schools start their day with obscenities in the halls,
the Christian homeschools start their day with family devotions.
While the public schools study evolution and the creation, the
Christian homeschools study what the Almighty Creator has done.
While the public schools study diversity and homosexuality, the
Christian schools study God and His commandments. While the
public schools graduate young people who think that wrong is right and
then live sinful, destructive lives, the Christian homeschools graduate
young people who accept Christ as their personal Savior, Lord and
example.
While almost no churches in America have stood against the
anti-Christian schools and for the Christian homeschoolers, the
movement has grown at a steady rate for about thirty years. Now
the movement is spreading internationally, from its beginning in
America.
Most people do not see themselves as part of history. They only
see a small view. The homosexual movement is winning in
America. Courts have decided that public schools must teach
homosexuality. California has passed a law that its public
schools must teach homosexuality. Utah conservatives soundly
rejected a law that would have given them freedom from homosexual
control of education. The homosexual movement is winning in
America and in the western world, but there is a small flock which is
headed the other way.
If you are a Christian homeschool family, you are part of one of the
great religious movements in the history of America, perhaps the
greatest. Just as God put the Jews back in the Holy Land, just as
He is drawing some Jews to follow Christ, so He is calling you to
follow the Messiah directly. This is not a move of a
church. This is not a move of a political party. This is a
move of God. Christian homeschool families -- take your role in
history most seriously. Seek with all your might not to look to
any church or to any political party but to follow Christ Himself as
closely as you can. You will need Him in the days ahead.
