OBAMA THREATENING TO DEPRIVE TROOPS OF 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

WND EXCLUSIVE

ALARM SOUNDED ON GOVERNMENT'S 'GENETICS' SURVEY

Constitutional lawyer: 'I find this very troubling'

A veteran and constitutional attorney who is suing the Veterans Administration for threatening to deprive some returning troops of their 2nd Amendment rights after classifying them as mentally incompetent is warning his fellow veterans of a new VA program designed to extract personal information that could be used against them.

The Million Veterans Program is a voluntary research program funded by the VA that is supposedly designed to study veterans’ genetics and health, writes attorney Michael Connelly, the executive director of the United States Justice Foundation

But Connelly warns that the veterans “are asked to not only provide information on their physical health, but also their mental and emotional health, and that of their family members.”

The request is significant, he contends, because of the VA’s distribution of letters to certain veterans, as WND was first to report, warning they could be declared incompetent, assigned an advocate to handle their affairs and stripped of their 2nd Amendment rights. The letters are the target of Connelly’s lawsuit.

Connelly said much of the information the Million Veterans Program wants is “similar to what the VA is using to have veterans declared incompetent to handle their own financial affairs and then have their names placed on the NCIS list by the FBI so the veterans cannot own or purchase firearms due to a ‘mental defect.’”

“As a veteran and constitutional lawyer I find this very troubling,” he said. “I encourage all of my fellow veterans to carefully read this questionnaire and consider whether you can reap any benefits from participating in this program. Proceed cautiously and consider the possible implications to your constitutional rights.”

It’s the same administration that in 2009 warned that “returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists.”

The 2009 report from the Department of Homeland Security was called “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.” It also said Obama’s governmental managers were “concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.”

USJF got involved when it received a copy of a letter from the Portland VA Medical Center to a veteran. The letter warned the vet that “evidence indicates that you are not able to handle your VA benefit payments because of a physical or mental condition.”

“We propose to rate you incompetent for VA purposes. This means we must decide if you are able to handle your VA benefit payments. We will base our decision on all the evidence we already have including any other evidence you sent to us.”

The VA also warned: “A determination of incompetency will prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. If you knowingly violate any of these prohibitions, you may be fined, imprisoned, or both.”

The story of Vietnam, from Gen. Patrick Brady, one of the nation’s Medal of Honor recipients, in “Dead Men Flying.”

The letter was signed by K. Kalama, Veterans Service Center manager in the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs. But it didn’t present the evidence, the source of the evidence or even why the veteran’s competency was questioned.

‘Any emotional problems?’

The stated aim of the Million Veterans Program, or MVP, from the VA’s research and development branch, is to “better understand how genes affect health and illness.”

It may, the VA tells veterans, uncover “family health conditions of which you were not aware.”

The program achieves that aim through collecting genetic samples and health information.

The risks are similar to the risks of taking of blood samples, the VA says, and there is “a slight risk of a breach of confidentiality.”

Heritage, income and family components are part of MVP’s questionnaire.

It also asks: “During the past 4 weeks, were you limited in the kind of work you do or other regular activities as a result of any emotional problems (such as feeling depressed or anxious)?”

“How much of the time during the past 4 weeks have you felt calm and peaceful?” it continues.

“During the past 4 weeks, how much of the time has your physical health or emotional problems interfered with your social activities (like visiting with friends, relatives, etc.)?”

Participant also must rate their “emotional health” and whether they have felt “downhearted and blue.”

The questionnaire has an entire section asking about “mental health disorders.”

It also has detailed inquiries regarding parental and sibling health.

After WND reported on the program to classify veterans as unstable, dozens of people, including the local sheriff, gathered outside a Navy veteran’s home in Idaho over concerns authorities would confiscate his weapons. The public protest caught the attention of Associated Press.

Veteran Affairs spokesman Bret Bowers told AP the agency doesn’t have the authority to confiscate weapons, but as WND has reported, it can notify federal law enforcement agencies when such letters are issued that a particular person needs to be added to the national gun-ban list.

A similar plan was being considered for recipients of Social Security, the Los Angeles Times said recently. The paper said the Obama administration is pushing to ban Social Security beneficiaries from owning guns if they “lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs.”

Others could be targeted

Connelly told WND that if the government restricts Social Security recipients, there will be other targets soon.

“They could go after student loan recipients. What about people getting food stamps? Medicaid? Potentially anybody working for any government contractor,” he warned.

He said he’s been warning on his blog since earlier this year that the Social Security move was coming.

He said the government was using veterans “as guinea pigs to develop methods that can be used to steal their constitutional rights.”

“Veterans get the letter from the VA telling them that because of physical or mental disabilities they are going to be declared incompetent to handle their own financial affairs, and the VA will appoint a fiduciary for them. The veterans are given 60 days to prove they are competent, which is a direct violation of the due process clause of the Constitution that requires the burden of proof be on the government,” he wrote.

“In none of the cases that we know of has there been an adjudication process with a hearing before a judge or an administrative judge. Nor have the veterans in most cases been examined by a psychiatrist, psychologist or even an MD,” he continued. “[Then Attorney General]-Eric Holder decided that anyone who works for the VA can declare veterans incompetent for any reason including having their bills paid automatically out of their bank accounts.”

Lately, he reported, some veterans “have never gotten any letter or official notification from the VA. They find out they are on the NCIS list when they try to purchase a firearm. Often they can’t even find out why they are on the list.”

His organization’s legal fight so far includes the VA, the FBI, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

A Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman has told WND the letters to veterans were no more than routine. But questions about why the letters are being sent, what evidence is used to determine a veteran is incapable of managing his or her affairs, who provides that information and why it is provided remain unanswered.

Read the letter that got the investigation started:

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/vets-warned-about-governments-genetics-survey/#T7uCusjYip1jGxA0.99

OBAMA SECURES VOTES FOR IRAN DEAL TO PREVENT A VETO OVERRIDE

NUCLEAR WAR-FEAR

OBAMA SECURES VOTES FOR IRAN DEAL

Veto-proof coalition protects from being blocked by Congress

Cheryl Chumley

Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski from Maryland added her support to the White House-backed Iran nuclear deal late Wednesday morning, giving President Obama the necessary votes to withstand any congressional veto.

In a tweet, Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times wrote: “Sen. Barbara Mikulski supports the #IranDeal … She makes a veto of the Iran deal bulletproof.”

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And Matt Lee, a reporter with the Associated Press, tweeted: “Democrat Mikulski is 34th senator to support #Iran nuke deal, ensuring landmark Obama victory.”

Her stated support marks a huge win for Obama, who’s been on a public relations campaign for weeks to press the deal with Iran, at points calling on Americans to contact their congressional members and advocate similarly.

What’s next? Find out in “Showdown with Nuclear Iran.”

Not all see the deal as a boon for America. A few days ago, 200-plus former generals and admirals penned a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting they stand strong against the deal, and saying Iran won too many concessions at the expense of U.S. national security. Among their concerns: The deal gives Iran the right to delay inspectors at suspected nuclear sites up to 24 days; the deal grants up to $150 billion in sanctions’ relief the country could use for state-sponsored terrorism; and the deal requires inspectors ask, not demand, Tehran grant entry to suspected spots.

In short, critics charge the deal will give Iran the ability to get nuclear weapons in the coming months and years.

Sen. Marco Rubio, reacting to the latest news on Fox News, said the House and Senate will be taking a vote on the deal, regardless of Mikulski’s announcement.

He said: “I’m confident that the majority in the House and Senate are going to reject this deal.”

Rubio also reminded the nuke deal isn’t a treaty and as such, will be subject to change, or even obliteration, in an ensuing White House administration.

Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, cheered the deal during a press conference in Philadelphia, referencing how some of the world’s top scientists gave their endorsement to the final product, affirming it would guarantee no-nukes for Tehran.

He then moved on to sell the deal as a great win for America.

“I will dispel some of the false information which is circulating about the deal,” he said.

He spoke of the “reality of how advanced Iran’s” nuclear capability has become, saying the nation’s already stockpiled enough enriched uranium to arms up to 12 bombs and installed 10,000 centrifuges.

“That my friends is where we already were when we began our negotiations,” Kerry said.

But sanctions weren’t slowing Tehran’s advance toward nuclear development, he said. So Obama stepped in to “find a way to not only stop but to throw into reverse Iran’s rapid expansion of its nuclear development program,” he said, using lofty rhetoric to describe what he painted as the president’s bold actions.

“We arrived at the good and effective deal that we have sought, and I ask you in the days ahead … consider the facts of what we achieved and judge for yourself the difference of where we were two years ago, where we are now and where we could be in the future,” Kerry said.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/obama-just-1-vote-away-from-iran-deal-victory/#4cvrCilm0oXy4uAO.99

My comments: Obama, Kerry and the Democrats are Traitors to America and Israel. Iran will proceed to obtain Nuclear Bombs and threaten Israel, the Mideast and America. Remember they are willing to PERISH in pursuit of the Destruction of Israel and the Domination of the World the Koran Demands. Iran is a Suicide Bomber on the Nuclear level.

AMERICA'S LAST CALL: A VISION FROM KENNETH HAGIN SR.

America's Last Call: A Vision From Kenneth Hagin Sr.

3:00PM EDT 8/7/2015 BERT FARIAS - CHARISMA NEWS

From time to time I like to share visions and prophecies that men of old received from the Lord concerning the times we are living in now.

The fear of the Lord comes on me each time I read such words that men spoke as they were moved by the Spirit of God. I am not frightened of such warnings because my heart is transparent before the Lord. I've allowed the searching light of His Word and Spirit to continually scan my life. I may miss it at times, but I've always endeavored to judge myself and be quick to repent and quick to forgive. I would encourage you to do the same so you don't miss God's plan for you in these end of days.

May these living words produce a consciousness of God and His holy fear in your life that gives birth to godly repentance, if necessary.

This vision was given decades ago. Think how much closer we are today to the more complete fulfillment of this vision. This is a great reminder and sober warning for all of us to heed and not just to admire the accuracy of it.  

The Vision

As I looked to the west, I saw what appeared to be a tiny dot on the horizon. It was the only moving thing I could see. As I watched, it grew larger and came toward me, taking on shape and form. Soon I could see it was a horse. As it came closer I could see a man upon the horse. He was riding toward me at full speed. As he approached, I could see he held the reins of the horse's bridle in his right hand, and in his left hand, high above his head, he held a scroll of paper.

When the horseman came to me, he pulled on the reins and stopped. I stood on his right. He passed the scroll from his left hand to his right hand and handed it to me. As I unrolled the scroll, which was a roll of paper 12 or 14 inches long, he said, "Take and read." At the top of the page in big, bold, black print were the words "WAR AND DESTRUCTION." I was struck dumb. He laid his right hand on my head and said, "Read, in the Name of Jesus Christ!"

I began to read what was written on the paper, and as the words instructed me, I looked and saw what I had just read about. First I read about thousands upon thousands of men in uniform. Then I looked and saw these men marching, wave after wave of soldiers marching as to war. I looked in the direction they were going, and as far as I could see there were thousands of men marching.

I turned to read the scroll again, and then looked and saw what I had just read about. I saw many women—old women with snowy white hair, middle-aged women, young women and teenagers. Some of the younger ones held babies in their arms. All of the women were bowed together in sorrow and were weeping profusely. Those who did not carry babies held their hands on their stomachs as they bowed over and wept. Tears flowed from their eyes like water.

I looked at the scroll again, and again I looked to see what I had read about. I saw the skyline of a large city. Looking closer, I saw the skyscrapers were burned-out hulls. Portions of the city lay in ruins. It was not written that just one city would be destroyed, burned and in ruins, but that there would be many such cities.

The scroll was written in the first person, and seemed as if Jesus Himself were speaking. I read: "America is receiving her last call. Some nations already have received their last call and never will receive another."

Then, in larger print it said, "THE TIME OF THE END OF ALL THINGS IS AT HAND." This statement was repeated four or five times. Jesus also said this was the last great revival. He went on to say: "All the gifts of the Spirit will be in operation in the church in these last days, and the church will do greater things than even the early church did. It will have greater power, signs and wonders than were recorded in the Acts of the Apostles."

I believe in visions we have seen and experienced many healings, but we will now behold amazing miracles that have not been seen before. Jesus continued: "More and more miracles will be performed in the last days which are just ahead, for it is time for the gift of the working of miracles to be more in prominence. We now have entered into the era of the miraculous.

Many of my own people will not accept the moving of my Spirit, and will turn back and will not be ready to meet Me at my coming. Many will be deceived by false prophets and miracles of satanic origin. But follow the Word of God, the Spirit of God and Me, and you will not be deceived. I am gathering my own together and am preparing them, for the time is short."

There were several other exhortations to watchfulness, to awaken and pray, and not to be deceived. Then I read, "As it was in the days of Noah, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be. As I spoke to Noah and said, 'For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth

"So today I am speaking and giving America her last warning and call to repentance, and the time that is left is comparable to the last seven days of Noah's time" (Gen. 7:4).

"Judgment is coming. Warn this generation, as did Noah his generation, for judgment is about to fall. And these sayings shall be fulfilled shortly, for I am coming soon." Jesus repeated, "This is the last revival. I am preparing my people for my coming. Judgment is coming, but I will call my people away, even unto Myself, before the worst shall come. But be thou faithful; watch and pray, for the time of the end of all things is at hand."

Bert M. Farias, revivalist and founder of Holy Fire Ministries, is the author of several books including The Real Spirit of Revival and the newly released My Son, My Son—a beautiful father-son memoir co-written with his son Daniel for the purpose of training up a holy generation. He ministers inter-denominationally and cross-culturally in nations, churches, conferences, crusades, on the streets, and in homes. He and his wife also host The Holy Ghost Forum—a school of the Spirit. Follow him at Bert Farias and Holy Fire Ministries on Facebook or @Bertfarias1 on Twitter.

THE THOUSAND YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST

(Revelation 20)

Then I saw an angel descending from Heaven;

He was holding the Key of the Abyss—The bottomless Pit--

And a Great Chain was in his hand.

And he gripped and overpowered the Dragon,

That old Serpent of Primeval times, Who is the Devil and Satan,

And [securely] bond him for a Thousand Years.

Then he hurled him into the Abyss—the bottomless Pit--

And closed it and sealed it above him,

SO HE COULD NO LONGER LEAD ASTRAY

AND DECEIVE AND SEDUCE THE NATIONS

Until the Thousand Years were at an End.

After that he must be liberated for a Short Time.

Then I saw Thrones, and sitting on them were those

To whom authority to act as Judges and Pass Sentence was Entrusted

ALSO I SAW THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAD BEEN SLAIN WITH AXES

(BEHEADED) FOR THEIR WITNESSING TO JESUS

AND [FOR PREACHING AND TESTIFYING] FOR THE WORD OF GOD,

And who had Refused to pay Homage to the Beast or his Statue

And has not accepted his “mark”

Or permitted it to be Stamped on their Foreheads or on their hands,

and they lived again, and Ruled with Christ, the Messiah,

A Thousand Years. [Dan. 7:9, 22, 27.]

The Remainder of the Dead were not restored to life again

Until the Thousand Years were completed.

THIS IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION.

BLESSED (happy, to be envied) and Holy—Spiritual Whole,

Of Unimpaired Innocence and Proved Virtue--

Is the Person who takes part (shares) in the First Resurrection!

OVER THEM THE SECOND DEATH EXERTS NO POWER OR AUTHORITY,

But they shall be Ministers of God and of Christ, the Messiah,

And they shall Rule along with Him a Thousand Years.

And when the Thousand Years are completed,

Satan will be released from his place of confinement,

AND HE WILL GO FORTH

TO DECEIVE AND SEDUCE AND LEAD ASTRAY THE NATIONS

Which are in the Four Quarters of the Earth,

That is Gog and Magog, To Muster them for War;

Their number is as the sand of the sea. [Ezek. 38:2, 9, 15, 22.]

And they swarmed up over the broad plain of the Earth

And Encircled the Fortress (camp) of God's People (the Saints)

And the Beloved City;

But Fire descended from Heaven and CONSUMED them.

[2 Kings 1:10-12; Ezek. 38:2, 22.]

Then the Devil who had led them Astray—Deceiving and Seducing them--

Was hurled into the Fiery Lake of Burning Brimstone

Where the Beast and False Prophet were;

and they will be Tormented Day and Night FOREVER AND EVER--

Through the Ages of the Ages.

Then I saw a Great White Throne

And the One Who was seated on it,

From Whose Presence and from the sight of Whose face

Earth and Sky Fled Away and no place was found for them.

I [ALSO] SAW THE DEAD, GREAT AND SMALL;

They stood before the Throne, and the Books were opened.

Then another Book was opened, which is [The Book] of LIFE.

And the Dead were Judged (sentenced) by what they had done

[Their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors]

In Accordance with what was RECORDED IN THE BOOKS.

And the sea delivered up the Dead who were in it,

Death and Hades [the state of death or disembodied existence]

Surrendered the Dead in them;

AND ALL WERE TRIED AND THEIR CASES DETERMINED

By what they had done--

According to their Motives, Aims and Works.

Then Death and Hades [the state of death or disembodied existence]

Were thrown into the Lake of Fire.

This is the Second Death, the Lake of Fire.

And if any one's [name] was not Recorded in THE BOOK OF LIFE,

He was hurled into the Lake of Fire.

(Revelation 20, AMP)

What are we Witnesses to Today?

EVERY NATION DECEIVED AND SEDUCED by Satan!

Why!

BECAUSE THEY HAVE REFUSE TO LOVE THE TRUTH (2 Thess. 2:19)

SOON, Satan will Reveal his son, the Beast of Revelation, the Antichrist

And the Whole World will worship him and Receive his “mark,”

Damning themselves to and Eternal Hell.

This will be Preceded by A GREAT APOSTASY,

A FALLING AWAY from Faith in God and His Word.

(Matt. 24:10; 2 Thess. 2:3; Dan. 8:12)

Be always on the Watch,

And pray that you will be able to Escape All that is about to happen,

And that you may be able TO STAND before the Son of Man.

(Luke 21:36)

Today, the World is Raging Against God, Rushing toward Oblivion. (Psalm 2)

This World in it's present form is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)

America is being ground to powder because of her SIN against God.

Save yourself from this Corrupt Generation! (Acts 2:40)

As God has written, so shall it be! Hallelujah! Maranatha!

Father, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in Heaven!

AS AMERICANS BOUGHT 170 MILLION GUNS, VIOLENT CRIME FELL 51%

SHOCK: AS AMERICANS BOUGHT 170 MILLION GUNS, VIOLENT CRIME FELL 51%

On August 28, the NRA presented ATF and FBI data showing Americans have purchased “170 million new guns” since 1991, and violent crime has fallen “51 percent.”

by AWR HAWKINS31 Aug 2015 - BREITBART

The NRA tweeted, “Since ’91, Americans have acquired over 170 million new firearms and violent crimes have declined by 51%.”

This information squares with the findings of a Congressional Research Service (CRS) study covering the slightly shorter period of time from 1994 to 2009. For those years, CRS found that Americans purchased approximately 118 million firearms, and the 1993 “firearm-related murder and non-negligent homicide” rate of 6.6 per 100,000 fell to 3.6 per 100,000 by the year 2000. It eventually fell all the way to 3.2 per 100,000 in 2011.

That is more than a 50 percent reduction in “firearm-related murder and non-negligent homicide.”

Then, in 2009—the year the CRS study ended—Obama took office and gun sales began their climb to record levels, which made covering the gap between the 118 million guns that had been purchased by 2009 and the “170 million new guns” that Americans would own by 2015 an easy gap to bridge.

Breitbart News previously reported that there were 21,093,273 background checks for firearms in 2013 alone. And each of those checks were on buyers who could have legally purchased multiple firearms.

The overarching message is simple—more guns, less crime. Americans have purchased “170 million new guns” since 1991, and violent crime has decreased as gun ownership has increased.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/31/shock-as-americans-bought-170-million-guns-violent-crime-fell-51/

[VIDEO] ISIS BURNS FOUR SHIITE "SPIES" ALIVE

The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has released a new graphic video showing an execution of four Shiite “spies” being burned alive, allegedly in Anbar, Iraq’s largest province.

by EDWIN MORA1 Sep 2015 - BREITBART

In the video, the four men, apparently from a militia in Iraq known as the popular resistance forces, are shown “confessing” individually to the camera.

They introduce themselves to the camera, giving their names and a brief description of their role in combating ISIS.

The alleged “spies” are then chained upside down — hanged by their wrists and ankles to a metal frame — before a fire is set, to a trail of fuel beneath them, that eventually engulfs them in flames burning them to death.

A line of fuel appears to have been poured underneath the men and slight patches of straw were added to ignite the fire.

In slow motion, the video footage shows as the fire begins to burn up the line of fuel, rapidly heading towards the men.

The men are agonizingly burnt to death by the fire in the final seconds of the footage, which are too graphic to publish.

A masked ISIS fighter used a large torch to set them ablaze, and the four men are forced to watch as the flame licks towards them.

As in other propaganda execution videos, the men are forced to wear orange jumpsuits.

ISIS’ media arm released the video Monday, claiming to have filmed it in Anbar province. The video is entitled by the jihadist group with a line from the Koran, roughly translated as “Punish them with the same harm they have caused you.”

The Independent quoted experts saying the footage came in direct response to videos disseminated by Shiite jihadists, showing similar barbarity.

“Last week, a video circulated on social media showed the Shia militia leader Abu Azrael torturing and killing a Sunni fighter, accused of ISIS allegiance, by burning him alive over an open pit,” notes the U.K. news outlet.

“While it was impossible to independently verify the authenticity of Monday’s video, experts said that in the Iraqi context it appeared to be ‘an act of vengeance,’” it adds.

Prior to their deaths, the prisoners are made to watch several videos reportedly showing the mutilation of the bodies of dead ISIS fighters by members of the Iraqi army and allied Shi’a militias.

The new video was unlike other ISIS films designed to “terrorize a global audience and attract fanatics,” Dr. Andreas Krieg, an expert on the Middle East from King’s College’s Department of Defense Studies, told The Independent.

Iran-backed Shiite militias employed by the Iraqi government have been committing atrocities “of the same scale as ISIS” since 2003, he also said, adding, “ISIS wants to show its most important military and ideological enemy, namely the [Shiite] militias, that none of their atrocities will go unpunished.”

“It wants to send the message that they are not impressed by [Shiite] cruelties and that despite the Iraqi government’s determination, ISIS can act with impunity,” noted Dr. Krieg.

ISIS uses some of the videos purportedly showing its members being brutalized by Shiite militias as “evidence of a war against them waged by Shia Muslims and Iran,” Charlie Winter, an expert at the anti-extremist think tank Quilliam, told The Independent.

“These videos are rare, so of course ISIS is going to seize it as an opportunity. They see it as a justification for their war, for the punishments they themselves use, and of course it gets publicity as well,” he added.

ISIS has killed at least 3,156 people in Syria alone, including 1,841 civilians, since it declared the formation of its so-called “Caliphate” 14 months ago on June 29, 2014, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which uses sources on the ground to monitor the Syrian conflict.

Among those killed are 236 rebels and fellow jihadists and 182 members of its own group.

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/09/01/isis-video-shows-four-shiite-spies-burned-alive-in-iraq/

Jacob Duché praying at First Session of the Continental Congress

AMERICAN MINUTE

THE PRAYER THAT INFLUENCED 1ST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS

Bill Federer remembers powerful words of Rev. Jacob Duché

The first session of the Continental Congress opened the beginning of September in the year 1774 with prayer in Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia.

Threatened by the most powerful monarch in the world, Britain’s King George III, America’s founding fathers heard Rev. Jacob Duché begin by reading Psalm 35, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer’s “Psalter” for that day Sept. 7, 1774: “Plead my cause, Oh, Lord, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield, and rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation.’ Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.”

Then Rev. Jacob Duché prayed: “Be Thou present, O God of Wisdom, and direct the counsel of this Honorable Assembly; enable them to settle all things on the best and surest foundations; that the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that Order, Harmony and Peace may be effectually restored, and that Truth and Justice, Religion and Piety, prevail and flourish among the people. … Preserve the health of their bodies, and the vigor of their minds, shower down on them, and the millions they here represent, such temporal Blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting Glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Saviour, Amen.”

That same day, Sept. 7, 1774, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, describing the prayer: “When the Congress met, Mr. Cushing made a motion that it should be opened with Prayer. It was opposed by Mr. Jay of New York, and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina because we were so divided in religious sentiments, some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and some Congregationalists, that we could not join in the same act of worship. Mr. Samuel Adams arose and said that he was no bigot, and could hear a Prayer from any gentleman of Piety and virtue, who was at the same time a friend to his Country.

“He was a stranger in Philadelphia, but had heard that Mr. Duché deserved that character and therefore he moved that Mr. Duché, an Episcopal clergyman might be desired to read Prayers to Congress tomorrow morning. The motion was seconded, and passed in the affirmative. Mr. Randolph, our president, vailed on Mr. Duché, and received for answer, that if his health would permit, he certainly would. …”

Discover more of Bill Federer’s eye-opening books and videos in the WND Superstore!

Adams continued: “Accordingly, next morning Reverend Mr. Duché appeared with his clerk and in his pontificals, and read several prayers in the established form, and read the collect for the seventh day of September, which was the thirty-fifth Psalm. You must remember, this was the next morning after we heard the horrible rumor of the cannonade of Boston.

“I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seemed as if heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read on that morning. After this, Mr. Duché, unexpectedly to every body, struck out into an extemporary prayer, which filled the bosom of every man present. I must confess, I never heard a better prayer, or one so well pronounced.

“Episcopalian as he is, Dr. Cooper himself never prayed with such fervor, such ardor, such earnestness and pathos, and in language so elegant and sublime, for America, for the Congress, for the province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially the town of Boston. It has had an excellent effect upon everybody here. I must beg you to read that Psalm.”

The Library of Congress printed on an historical placard of Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia: “Washington was kneeling there with Henry, Randolph, Rutledge, Lee, and Jay, and by their side there stood, bowed in reverence the Puritan Patriots of New England. … ‘It was enough’ says Mr. Adams, ‘to melt a heart of stone. I saw the tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave, Pacific Quakers of Philadelphia.’”

The Journals of Congress then recorded their appreciation to Rev. Mr. Duché: “Wednesday, September 7, 1774, 9 o’clock a.m. Agreeable to the resolve of yesterday, the meeting was opened with prayers by the Rev. Mr. Duché. Voted, That the thanks of Congress be given to Mr. Duché … for performing divine Service, and for the excellent prayer, which he composed and delivered on the occasion.”

Rev. Jacob Duché exhorted Philadelphia’s soldiers, July 7, 1775: “Considering myself under the twofold character of a minister of Jesus Christ, and a fellow-citizen … involved in the same public calamity with yourselves … addressing myself to you as freemen … ‘Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free’ (Galatians, ch. 5).”

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