The sea rarely gives up the dead, or that’s what Phil Harris thought when he tried to throw former business partner Glenn Coggeshell overboard.

 “Memorial Day Forever: The Cost of Kings”

By The Artist ONE

Memorial Day is this weekend, and for many, it’s a long weekend of barbecues, flags, and sales. But for those who’ve buried sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers who died in war—it’s not just a holiday.

It’s today.
It’s every day.
It’s forever.

We build stone monuments and wave fabric flags, but they can never touch the grief of an empty chair at the table. That grief doesn’t come once a year—it wakes up with you. It goes to bed with you. It echoes in your memories and your prayers.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: no King has ever fought a war.
It is always the kings, the presidents, the rulers, who send the young to die.
And once the dust settles, once the bodies are buried, the truth emerges—it was never about freedom.

It was about money.
The land—its value, its location, its resources.
From gold and spices in ancient times to oil and rare minerals in ours—it's always been about what the land holds, not the people who live or die upon it.

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
—1 Timothy 6:10, KJV

The Lie of the “Just War”

Too often, the wars we were dragged into came under false pretenses. False flags, as they’re now called—events staged or distorted to stir the public, to ignite emotion, to manufacture consent. From the Gulf of Tonkin to weapons of mass destruction, we’ve been deceived into cheering as our youth are marched off to die.

And why?

To give the illusion that “the people stand behind their king,” that the nation is united, when in truth it is only the sons of the poor who die, while the kings live in palaces untouched.

The kings never swing the sword.
They never take a bullet.
They never watch their brothers die.

They sign papers with gold pens in marble halls and call it patriotism.

"He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."
—Revelation 13:10, KJV

God Is a Man of War—but Not Like Man

In the Song of Moses, we’re told:

"The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name."
—Exodus 15:3, KJV

But unlike the little “g” gods of this world—greedy men, corrupt leaders, military elites—God does not send thousands to die for His pride. When God goes to war, He needs no army.

In the days of Gideon, God whittled an army of 32,000 down to 300 men (Judges 7) so that no man could boast, “I won the battle.” The victory belonged to God alone.

He does this to show the strongest men that even they are nothing without Him. It is not by might, nor by numbers, but by His Spirit.

The Warning of Samuel

We were warned. The people of Israel demanded a king, and the prophet Samuel cried out. He knew what would happen:

“He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen... And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
—1 Samuel 8:11,18, KJV

God never intended us to serve kings. He wanted to be our King.

But people wanted a man they could see—even if it meant that man would take their sons, take their daughters, and shed their blood in battles for his glory, his pride, his kingdom.

America: The Global King

America has become that king.
The most powerful military force in human history.
No nation has matched our might. But what has it bought us?

1.35 million American soldiers dead.
And for what?

The World Health Organization estimates 231 million people have died in wars in just the last 100 years. I believe it’s closer to 300 million—mostly young men, now gone, erased from existence. Generations lost. Families shattered. Dreams dissolved in blood and mud.

And for what?

Power.
Profit.
Lies.

Still the Killing Goes On

We’re still fighting wars. Still bombing villages.
Now even our daughters are dying beside our sons.

And every year, we learn a little more:
What we thought was truth was a lie.
What we thought was honor was manipulation.
What we thought was defense was aggression.

And the so-called “leaders”? They live. Protected. Insulated. Worshipped.
Who protected the children they sent to die?

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil... that put darkness for light, and light for darkness..."
—Isaiah 5:20, KJV

On This Day, God Feels Your Pain

To every grieving mother, father, brother, or wife…
To the children who never got to meet their parent…

God sees your pain.
God feels your pain.

On this day—and every day—He remembers.

He, too, sent His Son into a warzone.
Not for gold, not for land, not for political power—
But to fight your battles, to free you from evil, and to save your soul.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
—Romans 5:8, KJV

And yes—He lost Him in that fight.
The cross was real. The pain was deep.
But just as Jesus rose again, victorious over death,
so shall your loved ones rise.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout... and the dead in Christ shall rise first."
—1 Thessalonians 4:16, KJV

You will see them again.

And in the greatest battle of all history—love will win over evil.
Not with tanks, but with truth.
Not with missiles, but with mercy.
Not with empire, but with eternal life.

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
—Romans 12:21, KJV

So say no to the war machines.
Say no to the kings who won’t bleed.
Say yes to the King who died for you.

His name is Jesus.
And He remembers.