Corruption Is Unprecedented: It Could Be Your Downfall

The title comes from a Rolling Stone news headline. It’s about a certain individual, who really shouldn’t need to be named. But honestly, this isn’t about him. It’s maybe about you though. Rolling Stone said the corruption could be his downfall. I’m more concerned about those who fall down with him, or because of him. Especially in the next life. Potentially, there’s a serious problem in that area.

The adjacent image kinda/sorta represents the Humpty Dumpty scenario.

• Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Of course, no one asks how he got that high.
• Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Oops. But then, it was bound to happen, wasn’t it?
• All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again. Does that mean Humpty was the king? Another unasked question.

Now, in the Gemini AI image, it looks like a bit of plastic surgery – maybe dyed sugar paste – could put Humpty back together. With a skilled professional eggshell surgeon, most people would probably never notice.

How does Humpty Dumpty relate to: Corruption Is Unprecedented: It Could Be Your Downfall

The title in Rolling Stone is: Trump’s corruption is unprecedented. It could be his downfall. If you’re not aware of enough of the details to understand their title, you’re welcome to read the article yourself.

But then, why does my heading say: “It could be your downfall”?

If we/you follow the ways of whatever Humpty we put up on that wall, we are far more likely to end up on the ground than Humpty is.

Let’s see how that works.

Falling in this life

The scenario – putting Humpty back together again, is workable. But – only in two instances.

First – if Humpty is rich enough, and he must be to have people trying to put him together again, as I said – no problem. He’ll be good as new.

Second – if people are afraid to tell Humpty that the surgery failed and he’s a cracked mess – he can convince himself that all is well, and everyone will go along with it. Fear is a powerful motivator.

But – if you’re not rich or powerful, things don’t go so well. Your insurance won’t cover the cost of an excellent surgeon. You may get back together again – but it won’t be pretty.

And – if you’re on Medicare, they won’t pay for a bunch of stuff – so without supplemental insurance or a bunch of money you don’t have, you’re going to look pretty bad.

Further, if you don’t have insurance, you may come out alive but will probably need continuous IV replacement of egg white fluids.

What does that mean in real life on this planet?

The analogy above is about putting an eggshell back together again. But what if, as in the real world, it’s not eggshells but about power and money?

Just like getting an imaginary eggshell plastic surgeon, the rich and powerful have people to take care of them in areas like breaking the law and risking money.

In the rare case where they do get busted for doing something wrong, they go to things like “Club Fed” – where the accommodations are better than what most Americans consider normal living.

But before that happens, two other things are far more likely.

First – all the king’s horses and all the king’s men are probably waiting on both sides of the wall with huge safety nets. They’re always there to catch Humpty, keep him from harm, and whisk him off before people even realize he fell off the wall.

Second – someone’s up on that wall with Humpty. Their responsibility is to make sure Humpty never falls in the first place.

Tell me do you have those things going for you?

Fairy tale to “real life” to the next life

Let’s get to the part that truly matters. The next life. That is, of course, it truly matters if you’re a Christian. If you have some other belief about what happens after this life is over – I can’t really help you with that.

Let’s begin with a different image. One that I had to go to a different AI site to generate. Having a smashed Humpty wasn’t acceptable to the ones I normally use. Fortunately, I found one that was willing to almost go there.

Remember – in the first scenario – real/physical life – the most likely scenario was that Humpty stayed on the wall, while we ended up on the ground.

But this time, things can be very different – if we want that.

Yes, Humpty is more likely to end up smashed on the ground. Unrecognizable. Everything that was Humpty is gone.

And we can end up on top of the wall.

Really? Yes – really. It’s possible for that scenario to come about. But only if we want it to. And if we’re willing to do the things needed to allow it to happen.

It sounds easy, but it may not be easy at all.

Let’s see what I mean.

What’s the cost of worshipping the god of corruption?

Since we’re moving to the next life, let’s use different words. For instance, corruption is the issue in the Rolling Stone article. But really, it could’ve been any number of things: theft, fraud, sexual harassment, gossip, telling lies, self-worship, murder, and on and on. The actual “thing” isn’t the problem. Yes, they’re all wrong. But what I’m talking about is taking it too far. BTW – there’s a reason for the “too far” – and it’s not to belittle even doing these things one time. Hang in there – it’s coming.

The problem I want to address first is this.

The Ten Commandments

Just read this list and think about what you just read.

There all in there. But the one I want to specifically call out is this one:

Ex 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.“

And here’s the problem for the rest of us – the ones who aren’t the Humpty’s of the world. The vast majority of us don’t participate in the long list of “it could’ve been any number of things: theft, fraud, sexual harassment, gossip, telling lies, self-worship, murder, and on and on”. Yes, we do many of them. Especially when we consider that Jesus likens murder to calling someone a fool. Clearly, we all have issues.

However, when any, even just one, of those things gets elevated to the level of being a “god”, there’s the First Commandment. And when a Humpty elevates themselves to a high enough level, whether it be power, money, ego, whatever, there’s the Second Commandment:

Ex 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God …

Yeah – that’s about someone making an idol of themselves. And then wanting other people to worship it.

Worshipping a man-made idol

Aaron made an idol of a golden calf. Humpty’s have been making idols of themselves for a really long time. Statues. Claiming to be divine. To be God. All sorts of things.

But – and here’s the big question – do we go along with that?

Why make a big deal out of whether or not we worship them as an idol? We really don’t even need to leave the book of Exodus to know why. God was not happy. Moses broke the tablets.

But there’s another example. Also in Exodus. Pharaoh. Many Christians believe God hardened Pharaoh’s heart from the very beginning. However, a close reading, looking at the Hebrew words behind what we read in English, tells us something different. I have a very old article on this, on a different site: God, The Father – Friend or Foe? A look at Pharaoh. It looks at what the Bible actually says, in Hebrew. Some look at God as mean and horrible because He did all those things to the Egyptians. But what really happened was they Pharaoh had chances to change his heart. After the 6th plague, then God took away Pharaoh’s ability to soften. But even then, Pharaoh did soften and let the Israelites go after the Passover – and then hardened his own heart again and chased down the Israelites to kill them.

The actual “thing” isn’t the problem.

Do you remember reading that going too far was the problem here? It wasn’t the actual “thing”.

The incidents with Pharaoh illustrate what I mean by going too far. We have the ability to change our hearts and our actions. We have the ability to turn to God and ask for forgiveness and to receive the gift of salvation.

The thing is, there’s this kind of nebulous “unforgivable sin”. It seems to be referred to twice – once as blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and once as quenching the Holy Spirit. I can’t help but wonder – does that include resisting the call to turn to God too many times?

Is that what gets people to the point where we just aren’t willing to change from Humpty to someone who truly follows Jesus? Someone who doesn’t do what one Humpty did when he spoke with Jesus?

Lessons from Corruption Is Unprecedented: It Could Be Your Downfall

I’m not out to right all the wrongs in the world. I learned a long time ago that one person can’t boil the ocean.

But then. I also learned that if I – or anyone – can play some part in helping to save one person’s soul – there will be rejoicing in Heaven,

So, that’s my goal. To get people to examine the Humpty’s they’re worshipping. To realize that by the very nature of who they are, they will only take us to the wide path. They may or may not help someone in this life. Generally, history says that won’t. But if their end is hearing Jesus say, “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!”

Do you have any Humpty’s in your life?