May Day: Occupying Wall Street Again
Last November, I wrote that there may be a resurgence of Occupy protests in the Spring of 2012. Occupy Wall Street has decided to use “May Day” as sort of a re-invigoration date for their movement as Occupy protests are going on in over 100 cities:
New York (CNN) — Don’t go to work; don’t attend classes; don’t buy anything; don’t do banking; don’t do housework. That’s the call from organizers of the Occupy movement for their general strike on May 1, also known as International Workers Day.
It’s not clear how many people will take part in the day of action. Numerous Occupy websites point to protests and marches taking place in more than 125 cities in solidarity with labor unions and immigrant groups…
“Some of us are anarchists. Some of us are liberals, progressives like me. I want to change things,” said John Steefel, a member of Occupy’s Restore Democracy working group. They meet regularly in a public atrium on Wall Street in New York. http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/01/us/occupy-update/index.html
By encouraging people not to go to jobs, not to go to school, not to do housework, not to buy anything, it seems that this would worsen the economic situation as by everyone producing less, everyone thus would have less. This may be a way to change things, but certainly is not a way to improve things. It would tend to make things worse.
Here is what one of the Occupy websites says the movement wants:
May Day Declaration of Solidarity
Posted 4 hours ago on May 1, 2012,
Legalize! Organize! Unionize!
We want to be heard! We need to be heard! We will be heard!
We are here to celebrate May Day. We are here to celebrate our power as people who have found unity of purpose. Today we assert our power as working people. We declare our solidarity with all people of the world. We affirm our rights to economic security, to meaningful work, to health care, to public services, to safe and healthy communities, to free, quality public education from pre-K to college, and to civil liberties. Today, we stand in solidarity with all who take popular action to secure such rights, as we begin to form genuine alliances that challenge a system that breeds inequality.
We are here to decry the rampant growth of social, political and economic inequality. We seek an end to an era wherein a handful of political and economic elites govern in the name of democracy. We want an end to assaults on our human rights. We want an end to tax breaks for the rich. We want an end to the attacks on our right to organize. We want an end to the mass incarceration of people of color. We want an end to all wars and an end to the militarization of our foreign policy.
And end of wars will come, but not until Jesus returns.
15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. (Leviticus 19:15)
In many cases, “justice” seems to come with a price and it is often much harder for the poor to get the same type of defense in court than the wealthy (though sometimes the opposite happens, and sometimes for the wrong reason). There is a better way, but the way of God does not seem to be a major concern of the Occupy movement. Jesus will return and His Kingdom will be established. And notice:
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)
God will solve the problems that plague humanity when He comes–this is part of the gospel–the good news–of the coming Kingdom of God. Individually people should humble themselves and submit to Him and His ways now, but only few will currently do so. People may not wish to hear this, but the Bible is clear that there will always be problems with poverty in this age. Hence, income redistribution per se would not seem to be the biblical solution. The Bible shows that despite provisions that some may consider to be regulations and/or restrictions on capitalism, there still will be poor people:
7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs…11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’ (Deuteronomy 15:7-8,10)
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. (1 Samuel 2:7-8)
8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always. (John 12:8)
And as far as lending, notice that the Bible shows that the poor were to be lent what they needed, not necessarily everything they might want. Lending also implies an obligation to pay back. Also notice:
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. (Psalms 37:21)
While the Bible does have provisions for debt relief (Deuteronomy 15), it does indicate that borrows should try to fulfill their obligations. Yet, many in the Occupy movement have stated that they do not want to pay back what they have borrowed. Both the borrowers and the lenders should try to resolve these situations without trying to exploit or take advantage of each other. However, this does not happen as often as it should.
The end-time sorrows and troubles in society are still in the beginning stages (Matthew 24:5-8), and will get much worse according to the Bible (Matthew 24:21-22). I believe that class warfare and other protests will escalate and help weaken the USA, Canada, and their other Anglo-nations and likely will also be a factor in them being vulnerable to real warfare: invasion by the final Beast power that the Bible warns about (Revelation 13; Daniel 11:39).
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2012 or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What is the “beginning of sorrows”? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
Is Third Tithe Still Valid Today? Some in the COGs no longer teach payment of third tithe, is this biblically correct?
LCG: Pornography, Who’s Tempting Whom? This is some information about the prevalence and dangers of pornography from the Living Church of God.
CG7 on Pornography This is an article excerpt from the Church of God, 7th Day-Denver about pornography.
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the Living Church of God?
LCG: Homosexuals Gaining Ground “Same-sex marriage” is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?
Is American Football Evil? Is the most popular spectator sport in the USA something that Christians should watch? What do the Bible and early writings show?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it. Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2018 or 2019?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests? This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing.
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? If so, what does that really mean for the USA and its Anglo allies.
Is Tony Blair Apocalyptic? The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom converted to Catholicism shortly after leaving his office and has been active in European affairs. What role might he play?
Since the Occupy Movement chose “May Day” for its current efforts, those interested in learning more about that may find today’s commentary from the Living Church of God of interest:
By Adam J. West | Tuesday, May 01, 2012The holiday of May Day is primarily celebrated in the northern hemisphere and occurs annually on May 1st. Modern day reasons for celebration of this day vary widely, as do the methods, but its origins are well known. Where did this celebrated day come from? Just who was the Queen of May? Should you take part in May Day traditions? Read more
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