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Texas is famous for its cattle
drives, where Cowboys herded cattle up the Chisholm Trail to Dodge City and the
Shawnee Trail to Kansas city, where bulls and cattle were put
on trains and shipped to Chicago and various parts of America. In view of this, throughout
America steak houses are often called "Texas Steak house" or "Lone Star
Steakhouse". Back in those days cattle were somewhat healthy to eat. of course
you would be healthy too if you walked all the way to Kansas City and ate grass
along the way. But, today the cattle are diseased, the protein supplements and
other factors etc. are causing mad cow disease, you'll probably be sure to get
cancer or some disease if you eat them today. But this was the economy of Texas,
like the Iamb was to Israel. However, few have realized that the Texas cause was
an anti-Roman Catholic cause. The Texans generally believed in the Creator, but
their religious knowledge wasn't what you would call scholarly. They simply read
the Bible for themselves without some priest telling them what it meant (a thing
the Catholic church does not like, and had William Tyndale killed for giving it
to the common people). The Texans had to make a pretense of Catholicism to buy
land in Texas. But the Bible they carried was not the Douay, but the Protestant
Bible (the King James Version). They simply searched the Scriptures for
themselves and depended on the Holy Spirit to give them a right understanding.
Samuel Houston studied law at Nashville. Do you
suppose he ever studied the laws in the Scriptures? Of course he did!
Sam Houston (called, the Raven by the
Cherokee), in his departmental orders from Nacogdoches, October 8, 1835, said:
"Our only ambition is the attainment of rational Liberty -- the freedom of
religious opinions and just laws. To acquire these blessings we solemnly pledge
our persons, our property, and our lives." Texas & Texans II,
p.135
Austin and Archer together wrote to colonel T.
D. Owings of the United States infantry: .... Our cause is that of Liberty,
Religious toleration and Freedom of Conscience against Usurpation, Despotism,
and the Unnatural and Unholy Monopolies of the Church of Rome. We wish to
extend the blessings of Civil Liberty over one of the finest portions of this
Continent, and offer a home upon its fertile soil, to the pious and Industrious
of all Religious Denominations. in doing this, we invade no right appertaitling
to Mexico, we violate no duty, on the contrary, Right and Justice
and Duty loudly call upon us to resist oppression and defend ourselves--
they call upon the Noble, the liberal, the pious and the free to fly to our aid,
and assist in planting the Standards of Independence and Freedom in Texas."
The Texas Colonists and Religion 1821-1836 p. 90,91
S. P. Austin
B. T. Archer
The Texans were only carrying out the principles
of the Reformation. Martin Luther
stated;
"If you
do not contend with your whole heart, against the impious government of the
Pope, you cannot be saved. Whoever takes delight in the religion and worship of
popery will be eternally lost in the world to come.
"If you reject it, (popery) you must expect to
incur every kind of danger, even to lose your lives, but it is far better to be
exposed to such perils in this world than to keep silence! So long as I live, I
will denounce to my brethren the sore
and
the plague of Babylon for fear that many who are
with us should fall back like the rest into the bottomless pit." History
of the Reformation of the 16th Century Vol. 15, p. 208
"In March 1836, Stephen F. Austin delivered
an address, in the Second Presbyterian Church of Louisville, Kentucky, in which
he said: 'Our object is freedom -- civil and religious freedom.' In the
same address, while speaking of the possibility of success, he said: 'Beside
these resourses [credit and men] we have one which ought not and certainly will
not fail us (talking about YAHUSHUA the Messiah)-- it is our cause -- the cause
of light and liberty, of religious toleration and pure religion.' Although
this address was delivered in a church, it cannot rightly be considered a case
of special pleading, for it was printed in pamphlet form and widely circulated.
On a circular appealing for volunteers from the United States, in the cause of
Texas, there appears a vignette representing Hercules killing Hydra.
Underneath are the words, 'Liberty triumphing over Tyranny and Priestcraft.'
Sam P. Carson, Secretary of State, wrote to General Dunlap: 'Although the defeat
of Santa Anna has been most propitious etc. . . . the Priests will doubtless,
organize and send all the troops they can raise, and their power is now much the
greatest in Mexico'." Texas Colonists and Religion 1821-1836 p. 91
The Texans and Tennesseans fought bravely at the
Alamo for civil and religious freedom. The odds were greatly against them,
they knew they would be defeated, but they wavered not to resist tyranny in the
cause of freedom and died manfully.
The Scriptures are profoundly true
where it states: "In her (the Catholic church) was found the blood of prophets,
and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the face of the earth."
Revelation 18:24
The inspiration and confrontation
that took place at the Alamo inspired Texans to keep on resisting tyranny.
"On April 21, 1836, Sam Houston with only 800 men inflicted a crushing defeat on
a force of 1600 Mexicans under Santa Anna, on the banks of the San Jacinto, and
by this one decisive blow achived independence of Texas." Funk & Wagnalls
Encyclopedia of 1934 (under Houston). Like the early Americans before
them, they believed it was their Christian duty to resist tyranny.
In 1987 when the pope came to San
Antonio, Texas, big fancy display like towers were raised. A big wind came
up and blew them down. It was grand to see it fall. {Luv ya Blew!}
One TV announcer stated, "It was an act of God."
Texas is an Indian word that came
from Tejanos which means friend or friendly. That's why Texans especially
like the song "What a Friend we Have In Yahushua."
During the period when Seventh-day
Adventists developed the Investigative Judgment doctrine, Texans were inspired
with a song. I don't think they intended to be sacreligious, but a
participant in the belief.
The eyes of Texas are upon you
all the live long day
The eyes of Texas are upon you
you cannot get away
Do not think you can escape them
at night or early in the morn
The eyes of Texas are upon you
till Gabriel blows his horn!
The eyes of YAHUSHUA are angels (see Zech. 4:10 &
Revelation 5:6). Who are taking record of the good deeds and the bad deeds
of every person.
As the Texans drove
cattle along the Shanee Trail to Kansas City, they must have pondered Psalm 23 at one time or
another and considered, they were not shepherds, but cowherds, and read the text
with a little different slant: "YAHUWAH is my Cowboy; I shall not want. He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters."
etc. And truly He is!
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