The Rise and Fall of a Great Nation

By John Gondeck

Nations have risen to power through their might and driven by greed they have held many people in bondage. When the workforce was limited, they bought and sold slaves. Slavery is still taking place on the continent of Africa, and no one is there protesting. Politics! It is all about politics and the political game that is being played out in the greatest nation that the world has ever known could be its demise. We will examine the foundation that was laid by those who came from Great Britain and with only thirteen colonies became the ruler of the seas and skies with an army that is unmatched anywhere. Politics! Yes, politics played by men and women desiring power and wealth have brought us the very brink of collapse as they tend to forget who it was that gave so much to so few in the beginning. Thousands upon thousands have given their lives for the freedoms that we have in this land, and yet there are many who do not care, preferring a socialist form of government. But there is still hope for a failing nation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Aug 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466945722

John Gondeck

I have always been intrigued with history and certainly enjoyed learning about various nations around the world. The wars that were fought as nations went against nations to conquer and to be conquered fascinated me. There always seemed to be a hero and a villain. Reading about the men who made America great, many who were humbled by the task before them, was heart-wrenching as I read about the sacrifices that were made. They came to a new land with renewed hope and a new beginning only to find themselves in a battle for their very lives, and they put their trust in an Almighty God. My grandparents were legal immigrants who came by way of Ellis Island with hope, strong work ethics, and a desire to succeed. I respect them and honor them for instilling in me that same type of fiber that helped them achieve their goal. I remember, as a child, the party that was given them as they received their naturalization papers and were joined by friends and family. It was a great time growing up in a small town called Arbutus. My grandparents were bakers and the owners of Gondeck’s Bakery. My brother and I learned early about working as it was our job to come in on Saturday morning and help clean up and in the process gather all the soda bottles that we found. We returned the bottles for the two-cent deposit and then went to movies for the afternoon. They were good times. My family and I reside on the eastern shore of Maryland in another small town called Denton. I have been involved in the insurance business for the past forty-three years, and yet I find myself from time to time writing letters to the editor over political issues, writing songs, and for the past three years, writing books. My first book, Building Blocks to Great Faith, was published in September of 2010. I manage to find time (my wife wonders how) to relax in Chincoteague, Virginia, play some racquetball with friends and spend time with the kids and grandkids. For all that I have and all that I am, I give glory to God.

Book preview

Chapter One

A Look at Egypt and Its Beginning

Egypt was becoming a known center for trade, located on the Nile River in the northern part of Africa. The country began approximately in 3150 BC with an Upper Egypt and a Lower Egypt. I watched as the two fought over many decades. The power struggle was brutal, and many lives were lost on both sides. Then Menes of Upper Egypt prevailed, and the two became one nation. Trade grew and with it came power to rule. Being a major trade route, they ruled the seas as well as great land masses. Spices and grains along with ivory and jewels were the main fare being transported along the trade routes leading into and out of Egypt, reaching into the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East. The Egyptians became a great people, and in so doing, I saw them rise to power always desiring more. The greatness of their kings was demonstrated in the pyramids and statues such as the great Sphinx. I watched as they mastered the art of quarrying, and their construction techniques were way ahead of the times. Many of the Egyptians worked as field hands, farmers, craftsmen, and scribes living in brick houses. Their understanding of mathematics allowed them to survey construction sites, lay out cities with roads leading in and out.

With the Nile River running through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, much travel was done by other African countries. The Nile River has two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile is longer and begins in either Rwanda or Burundi (not really clear) and flows north through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda, and South Sudan. The Blue Nile is the source of most of the water and fertile soil. It has its beginning in Ethiopia at Lake Tana. Both rivers converge near Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. The irrigation system that the Egyptians developed because of this great river caused them to have lush farmlands and plants producing spices of various kinds. All kinds of African animals were brought up the Nile for trade and for sale, ivory from the African elephant being the most sought after. Much of the slave trade was also brought up the Nile to the Mediterranean Sea.

Then there were the gods and goddesses of whom they believed in, and they made statues of them. Some of them (they believed) took part in creation, some in the flooding of the Nile each year, some in protection, and others to guide one into the afterlife. There were also those minor gods who represented plants or animals. All these gods were worshipped with the belief that there would be peace in the land.

The Pharaoh was the one in charge of the politics of Egypt, and he was also the high priest of the temple. He led the army into battle when their country was threatened, and he was also the one to whom taxes were paid. Pharaohs ruled for nearly three thousand years. The Egyptian people left a legacy for the world as their power diminished in the areas of quarrying, surveying, construction techniques, mathematics, and medicine along with the design of irrigation systems.

Approximately 1846 BC, something happened that eventually changed the history of Egypt. A young boy was sold into slavery by his brothers because of jealousy. His name was Joseph. He had God’s favor upon him even though there were times that he spent in prison. By the time Joseph was thirty years of age, he was brought before Pharaoh and made ruler over all that Pharaoh had. Even though I ruled with Pharaoh, I did not rule with Joseph for Joseph had the favor of the Lord upon him, and all that he did he prospered in it. During the next seven years, there was great prosperity in the land of Egypt, and then the famine came that covered the land. For the next seven years, people came from all around to buy food from Egypt because it was heard that Egypt had plenty for themselves and to sell to those in need. Joseph’s family, his father, Israel, along with his eleven brothers—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin along with their families—were now gathered together in Egypt in the land of Goshen and there remained. The Pharaoh who took care of Joseph and his family had passed away, and now I was with a new Pharaoh who had great ambitions to conquer and do great exploits throughout the land. In so doing, Israel became enslaved to the Egyptians, building their cities, statues, pyramids, and obelisks. Four hundred years passed, and there was great groaning across the land as a new Pharaoh began his reign. Not remembering the goodness of Joseph, he increased the burden placed upon the people of Israel. Now, a deliverer was born and was raised in Pharaoh’s house whose name was Moses. For the next forty years, he learned the Egyptian ways and customs, and then one day, he saw an Egyptian mistreating a Jew. He thought that what he was doing was right as he defended the Jew by killing the Egyptian. Moses fled to the desert, and there remained for another forty years. He took for himself a wife and began a new life. Then came the call . . .

Chapter Two

A New Nation Is Brought Forth

Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock in the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. As he looked on the mountain, he saw a burning bush that was not consumed, and he went to check it out, and as he drew near, God called to him from the midst of the burning bush. Moses, Moses!

And Moses said, Here I am. He removed his sandals because the ground was holy ground.

The Lord said to him, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And He said, I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and large land flowing with milk and honey… Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Moses, looking inside himself, wondered