Nowhere in God’s Word does He say that government should be in charge of providing individual health services. Nowhere does He advocate turning over one’s security to a central authority. And nowhere does He advocate a governmental provision system, which brings us to the next item on the list of actions necessary in order to institute national socialism. 3) Maximization of the social welfare system is a must. This necessitates raising taxes on those who create jobs–business owners, also known as the “one percenters.” Having their incomes reduced inevitably results in layoffs and the extensive use of automation, which puts more people out of work. This socialist ploy is effective in that it makes more people dependent on the government for food, housing, etc. Dependence=control=power. Centralized control of the population is ground zero for advocates of Socialism/Marxism/Communism (henceforth S/M/C). Central control can only take place when the people have no other recourse. Socialism is not about the people, nor is it about the nation–SOCIALISM IS ABOUT POWER OVER THE PEOPLE AND THE NATION–a status God reserved for Himself. To usurp God’s power the government must replace Him in the hearts of the people. By replacing Him the state becomes not only the individual’s soul source of livelihood, but also his/her reason for existence. The god of S/M/C is the state, which equates to idolatry, which is an abomination to the Lord as well as the #1 commandment in His Law. 4) Federalization of Thepublic education is essential when moving a nation toward Socialism. In order to raise up future generations of S/M/C’ists, brainwashing must begin early in life. “Give us the first five years of a child’s life and we will own him for life” is an oft-heard saying within the totalitarian community. The child’s mind must be captured early on and molded into a state-serving human automaton. It was for this reason that Jimmy Carter created the Federal Department of Education. Money played a large role in the federal government’s takeover of the local education system. Federal largess served to make local schools dependent on federal dollars. Dependence=control. Failure to obey orders from Washington can result in failure to receive federal money. Bribery works, especially federally funded bribery. “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). Of late, dependence on federal dollars is forcing local schools to succumb to the government’s dictates regarding the special treatment of transsexuals, cross-dressers, homosexuals, etc. When people choose to depend on a central authority as their source, that authority becomes their god.  Which brings us to the next item on our list. 5) Class warfare is another essential element in any move toward a dictatorship. To foment such a war there must be repeated calls for the elimination of social classes. This can come about only through income redistribution, which is possible only by heavy taxation on job creators, which results in layoffs, which makes more people dependent on the government. Again, dependence=control of people. Control=power–the ultimate goal of totalitarianism. 6) Federal elimination of sex and gender distinctions is necessary for the formation of a true socialist state, which is the ultimate goal of the American left. The current unisex and single parent movements are not new. In Mao Tse Tung’s China males and females were forced to wear the same clothing and hair styles. All external indications of one’s sex were eliminated. Love between males and females was forbidden. Affection could be felt only toward the state. Some say this is impossible in the United States? So was the election of a Catholic president, the election of a Muslim president, the elimination of our national borders, a welfare/nanny state, federally funded abortion, legalized same-sex marriage, dual-sex restrooms, dormitories, locker rooms, showers,  etc. only a few years ago. What is happening in the United States proves that once Satan gains control of a nation, nothing is beyond the bounds of possibility. Over the next few years we will witness public acts that decent people would not have even thought about in the past. The United States is rapidly becoming Sodom West. In May, 1961 John F. Kennedy vowed to put men on the moon. In May, 2016 Barach Obama vowed to put men in female’s restrooms, showers and dormitories. We haven’t seen anything yet. As the Biblical God and His gospel are rejected in favor of other gods and the social gospel, as Satan and his religious system gains in popularity, the unimaginable will become commonplace. To be continued. L.J.