Manariwa

Why We All Need Closure

Will this issue ever go away? We all want it to; however, the way things are developing, it may still take its time circling around the globe before it finally gets resolved, if ever. Nevertheless, for me the issue has gone its natural course; and whatever happens from now on will only be a matter of legal justification in the proper forums by either side of the issue: the alleged perpetrators and the thousands of alleged victims. Not to say that the pain and grief of the families of those who died will go away – neither should they be forgotten nor diminished. On the hand, we must not also forget that for every supposed pusher, user or drug-lord killed, hundreds or thousands of innocent people had also suffered and died as a result of the illicit trade these deceased people and their living counterparts engaged or still engage in.

The immediate task now is to resolve in our minds why these things had to happen and to seek absolution for ourselves, as well as for the nation-at-large, that we may move forward and work as one to prevent such things from ever happening again. Obviously, the issue has caused so much confusion and conflict among many, thus, dividing the nation further into so many more fragments than there were during the evil days of COVID. Standing firmly on either side with all our personal views and biases, we will find no bright and spacious place where we can all breathe freely and gently heal ourselves of our grief, bitterness and anger in order to rejuvenate our minds and souls and come together as one in building a better world for all, especially the next generation.

The Tragedy of Every Person’s Death

Every single death is a tragic story; and buried within that one painful story is a complex web of so many other tragic stories of those who still live and those who had died. And even the living, in spite of the blessings and joys they experience, must face that tragic end each one of us must face. For it is all rooted in the sins of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, when death was proclaimed for each and every sinner – that is for Adam and Havah and all their children to come. It did not take long before their first son, Cain, killed his brother, Abel. That was the first tragic event in human history – for Adam and Havah still had not received their just final punishment for their own sins. Abel was innocent; and yet he died. Cain, on the other hand, had a curse placed upon him that whoever killed him would suffer 7 times the punishment Cain would receive. Imagine getting a sentence of 7 life-terms for killing only one person. Or being killed 7 times, if that were possible. (Gen. 4:15)

Notice then that even the Creator valued the life of one great sinner as Cain was by imposing a more grievous punishment for Cain’s killer, who, in essence, would have avenged Abel’s death. While vengeance belongs to Yah; the punishment for sin has been placed, generally, into the hands of humans. That excludes the judgment or punishment Yah exacts through non-legal or non-institutional means, such as calamities, plagues, violence, accidents, diseases and old age. Where then do we establish our resolution of this issue within this broad realm of Divine Justice? For many readily jump into conclusion and see EJK as a simple legal or political issue that can be tackled and resolved by our brightest legal and political minds.

Seeing EJKs within the Context of Human History

On the contrary, we must see EJK as a normal link within the chain of events that has led to the continuing establishment of Yah’s righteous rule upon this archipelago, which He had begun millennia before any colonials set foot upon these islands. The “neutralization”, “negation” or “murder” of people engaged in the illegal drug trade is no different from the “pacification”, “exploration” or “exploitation” accomplished by the western nations that arrived in the 1500’s. Both the government officials and the colonialists who arrested or killed those who opposed their orders acted under the national or global laws that they believed they were empowered to obey and uphold. Hence, the International Criminal Court seeks to investigate EJKs. But has any local or global court ever tried the atrocities committed during the Age of Exploration? Does that mean their laws were and are no longer valid centuries after the period of colonization and, thus, not enforceable today? But they, in essence, continue to act and behave as if they still have colonies today. Is not the ICC itself, let alone the UN, their way of maintaining their neo-colonial designs? We digress – or do we?

Drugs had been both a source of great profit and a social curse even during the early days of English, Portuguese and Spanish exploration. They certainly encouraged such trade, if not, allowed it to continue while trying to address its dire social effects. But there are those who believe that drugs have been used as a means to keep people subservient, distracted or ineffective while the colonizers maintained overall control over the populace. And if people are sensible enough not to use drugs, the powers-that-be can always impose drugs (or other recreational activities, such as fiestas, cockfights and sports) that will provide the same form of distraction for achieving subservience and even other economic or political benefits.

And so, we can see that drugs, as far as we consider them as a tool for social, economic and political control, should not be seen simply as an incidental matter or a mere substance that causes addiction, but as merchandise that also provides lucrative business for the small fry and the big fish. Drugs are a modern metaphor for the Forbidden Fruit that looks so delicious and enticing, providing instant satisfaction and relief from the cares of the world without us realizing that death and suffering walk right behind us. And, in reality, drugs are insidiously both illegal and legal means to slowly poison humans (for their fun or for their medication) while making tons of money for their purveyors before the users finally succumb to Divine Justice. The ancient sorcerers and alchemists knew what they were doing. You think with all their science, modern pharmakeia-practitioners know much less? You can list down the drugs your doctor and pharmacist has got you hooked on to.

It then appears propitious and noble for any person, especially a political leader, to come on the scene and champion the causes of the masses, whether in eliminating poverty, criminality or corruption. Such a leader who finds himself within the most-chaotic period of a nation’s journey from decades of neglect and corrupt governance, as well as being burdened by a long-standing insurgency problem and a pernicious drug problem, can only be hailed a hero by its people. And so, it happened as it did. We chose a leader who had hands-on experience in dealing with insurgency, criminality and drugs and who then unleashed his “death squads” upon the entire land. Direct from the horse’s mouth, we heard the confession to such a conspiracy to eliminate the drug menace. Compared to other countries, even the rich nations of the West, our nation has been fortunate enough to enjoy an atmosphere of general safety from the drug menace, as well as from criminality. Our police and military forces, as well as our courts of law, still function as they should, unlike in the US. Of course, many still have their own reasons to complain; however, that comes from so much politicization and misconception of the many issues facing us.

Our desire, therefore, is to place this issue in its proper context that we may, hopefully, clarify in our minds why things happened and how we can resolve it within a better perspective other than what we have been told to do so. Lawyers, legislators and politicians see things within their scope of influence; however, present events are, as we have said, a continuation of millennia of divine and human processes and must be seen as such if we are to chart our course far into the future. Focusing on drugs and crimes alone will cause us to miss the whole point of our personal and national life. Remember, we were put on this Earth for an eternal purpose. Placing our faith and trust upon puny humans who distort truths and values for their personal gains is no way for us to live life and to establish a firm foundation for our children’s future.

The Continuing Failure of Kingdoms  

Many ordinary citizens read, watch or listen to the news as they would watch a movie or listen to music. It is a fleeting moment in their day-to-day menu of external diets that provide information, entertainment and recreation. The daily main tasks of feeding a family or working for the boss or meeting one’s business sales quota take priority over other menial or extraneous matters. We do find time to engage in intellectual or spiritual discussions, especially with social media giving us free access to feed ourselves with info, as well as to indulge ourselves within various interactive formats. Contrast this modern setting with the likes of the prophet Daniel who was an exile in Babylon (much like an overseas workers in the Middle East) working in the king’s palace. Yes, he would have been a Jew living among Gentiles (or a Christian among Muslims) and trying to maintain his faith within a strict and antagonistic society. His only social media and source of solace were his chats with friends, his faith and his daily prayers. We know how he survived; however, many of us hardly believe Yah would come to our aid today in case such extreme trials happen again.

Yet, Daniel was given a uniquely-special vision for which the king honored him for explaining, even if it were inimical to the king’s interests. The vision foretold of a time when Babylon would fall and be replaced by a lesser kingdom. The Medo-Persians, which would also fall at the hands of the Greeks, crushed Babylon. Finally, the Romans would conquer the world after that. During the time of those Roman kings, a Heavenly Kingdom will crush all those kingdoms, particularly targeting those kingdoms of mixed-iron-and-clay that formed the feet of the gigantic vision Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dreams. Yes, a king saw it all first; but it was a prophet who understood the vision. Remember: the vision and the meaning both came from Yah. Hence, everything we see happening today, including all the purposes and intentions of all that happens around us, can only come from Yah. He allows things to happen according to His will and intended aims.

Nothing happens by chance, even the choosing of a leader. Whether he is a wicked king like Nebuchadnezzar who invaded Israel or the prime minister of modern Israel or the president of the UN, Yah remains the One and Only Lord and Judge of all. And remember: we live in the days of the kings or rulers who are descendants of those kings of mixed iron-and-mud. Our laws and governments today owe much to the Roman and the pagan beliefs and practices that became the foundation of the powerful nations today. Daniel’s prophecy was already fulfilled; yet, the realities and repercussions of the king’s vision have remained. Be wise and analyze! The task of believers is to expose this historical fact and existential reality, as well as to work together to subdue the evil effects of existing human rule by the teaching and the application of the Heavenly King’s truths and principles. The Rock does not sit or stand still; He leads us to overcome and conquer authorities and jurisdictions by His power and might. The ekklesia has failed this task miserably by compromising with worldly powers.   

Yah used wicked kings to punish Israel, exiling His people and scattering them all over the world. He used Cyrus to be kind to the Jews and helped them rebuild the Temple in Yerushalem. He also sent the Assyrians then the Romans to destroy the Temple twice over to punish His people for their unbelief and idolatrous practices. Today, His anger remains and has not allowed the Temple to be rebuilt in spite of the earnest efforts of so-called Jews to do so. All the wars and conflicts we see today in the Middle East and in Europe stem from this ancient story we have reviewed. And yet leaders do not and will not be able to find the right or righteous act that will resolve them permanently; because they refuse to see the eternal purposes Yah has for all of us. In the same way that we fail to see Yah working to rebuild Kapuluang Ophir according to His ancient plans laid for it, we will not be able to see and understand why and how He is working to establish a righteous rule upon these islands according to His Word and His Ruach.

EJKs in the Eyes of Divine and Human Justice

Hence, just as Yah used a wicked Babylonian king to inflict suffering and impose discipline to His chosen people, he can choose a modern leader to exact justice against criminals and social offenders, whether according to divine laws or human laws. And sometimes, because a leader may not be a godly person, he or she may even go beyond the limits of divine and human laws to pursue what he or she deems necessary to establish peace and order. In that case, it is up to Yah to judge that leader. Likewise, it will also be up to the legal system of the land to judge that leader according to the policies imposed and implemented. And since the past president has already taken responsibility for his policy of “neautralizing” and “negating” the perpetrators in the drug trade, then let him accept the consequences. Enabling or ennobling him further by defending his deeds and seeking to justify him only works against the existing laws, as well as the moral laws of Heaven.

Let us not let politics blur our minds to the same divine or spiritual law that applied for Cain (the first “neutralizer”) while seeking to absolve another person from the same offense. Even Nebuchadnezzar had to suffer the rightful punishment for his wickedness. And so must we all. Who can prevent Yah from doing justice? So, why should we prevent human justice to take its due course today? We cannot place ourselves above the law, least of all, above Yah. Even Cain, a murderer, humbled himself before Yah for his own punishment.

Moving Forward with SocMed Friends

During the heyday of Tokhangs (door-knocking at drug users’ and pushers’ homes) and EJKs, we had many heated interactions online with Facebook friends. A few decried other faithful believers for supporting the president’s methods of solving the drug menace. The murder of many “innocent drug-users” (an oxymoron, although we are not saying they deserved to die) or even “salvaging” of drug pushers was passionately questioned by some friends. To which I personally said that the method applied may have been questionable or so drastic for certain offenses; yet, the burden of offense belonged only to the State that sponsored the program, not the people who were seeking a solution to the problem. Romans 13:1-5 directly states the State’s authority to “neutralize” (alright, swing the sword at) those who oppose the “king”, who is the chosen one of Yah to impose justice. Perhaps, a president who is also a lawyer has a defense for doing what he did. Let him defend himself then in court. We did not elect a president to kill addicts or pushers but to solve the drug problem. Whether he solved it or not is immaterial. He did what he did. If the problem remains; let us address it accordingly as we see proper according to divine and to human laws.

Fighting against each other according to our political leanings or religious views will not help our nation rebuild and move forward. There is nothing new under the Sun. These issues have been faced before by our ancestors – even worse than what we face today. We should know much better now and must think and act in better and more productive ways. Rebels and destroyers will always act in unlawful and violent manner; but if you are law-abiding, strive to be more by becoming righteous and faithful. The law must apply to them, as well as upon us all – both divine and human laws. But for those who only seek to do good and to be righteous, no law is necessary but the Law of Love and Liberty in Ruach. (James 1:25; 2:8-13) If He lives in a person, no evil or wicked thing will entice that person. For wickedness, lying and violence are works of the Devil. Those who do them must face the Great Judge and Avenger Who shows no partiality. But why face Him with a guilty conscience when we can be forgiven of our offenses through faith and submission to Yahusha, the Savior?     

Yes, ultimately, anyone, even an EJK perpetrator may be found guilty by a human court and sentenced accordingly. But through repentance and faith, he or she can be forgiven and find eternal salvation in Heavenly Places – definitely, not in Hell.