Divine Establishment
THE
PLAN OF GOD
Even before the creation of man, the
principle of establishment was ordained by God for the perpetuation of the
human race (Psa. 148:6). In His omniscience, God has always known the course of
history as well as every problem that we would ever face as individuals.
Therefore, in eternity past, God the Father sovereignly set up the Plan of
Grace for mankind. Based on His absolute righteousness and perfect justice, His
design for divine establishment is flawless. The Plan continues throughout
eternity because God Himself is eternal life. And since it proceeds from His
enduring, uncompromising justice, Operation Grace excludes the frailties of
human sentimentality.
Furthermore, the stability of God’s
Plan is guaranteed by His immutability, while His veracity, expressed in the
written Word of God, reveals to us the truth of His Plan. Because He is
omnipotent, God has the power to accomplish His grace objectives even in the
devil’s world; and because He is omnipresent and therefore not limited by time
or space, He maintains continual, on-the-scene command over human events. God
controls history in three ways: direct control, by means of
divine
intervention; indirect control, through man’s adherence of the laws of divine
establishment <our subject); and permissive control, by allowing the angelic
conflict to run its course according to the dictates of man’s volition.
Although God may intervene in human events, He never coerces the freedom of His
creatures. Thus, He allows each individual to make his own decision concerning
Jesus Christ, although it is His sovereign desire that all believe in Christ
and receive eternal salvation (2 Pet. 3:9).
Those who do believe enter the
threefold Plan of God: Phase One — salvation, or saving grace; Phase Two the
Christian way of life, which ranges from logistical grace to super-grace, ultra
super-grace and dying graced Phase Three — eternity, with its surpassing grace
blessings and rewards for the believer who has broken the spiritual maturity
barrier. The divine structure is unique in that it remains perfect despite the
inclusion of imperfect man. Man cannot hinder Operation Grace, since its
execution depends entirely upon the work of the Trinity in each phase of the
Plan. In Phase One, Jesus Christ accomplished salvation by His vicarious,
efficacious spiritual death on the Cross (Rom. 5:6-8); the Holy Spirit enables
believers to learn Bible doctrine and to reach spiritual maturity during Phase
Two (John 16:13, 14); and God the Father fulfills Phase Three (2 Cor. 5:1). Man
makes no meritorious contribution of any kind, and thus he cannot destroy the
perfect quality of God’s Grace Plan.
Within the framework of the Plan of
God, the principle of human freedom’ is essential for the function of divine
establishment. As the cornerstone of freedom, human volition is the
decision-maker of the soul. Man was created with a free will, and God made it
unmistakably clear to Adam that He had given him freedom of choice. This would
always be the primary issue in the angelic conflict: would man, inferior to
angels but equipped with the same free will, choose for or against the divine
design? Since volition must be tested in order to be operative, God set up one
prohibition.
And
the LORD God commanded the man,
saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil [the embodiment of Satan’s policy], thou shalt
not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die
[spiritual death] (Gen. 2:16,17).
God was saying to man, “In Operation
Grace, everything is provided for your blessing, including your human freedom.
You may exercise your free will in any direction you wish; but the day you go
on negative signals and eat of that forbidden tree, you will be outside My
Plan!” To be cut off from the divine Plan is to be spiritually dead, and this
eventually results in physical death. It was up to Adam’s volition whether or
not he would continue under God’s authority. Of his own choice, man walked out
on the Plan of God!
Who was behind the revolt against
God’s policy? None other than His archenemy, Satan! This evil super-creature
used the serpent to lure the woman into rebellion against God’s perfect
provision, and the angelic conflict began to gather momentum on the earth. The
woman then influenced Adam to
disobey;
and in his Fall man lost the rulership of the earth to Satan. However, billions
and billions of years before, God had not only foreseen man’s failure but had
conceived a way to rescue the human race and thereby resolve the angelic conflict!
He offered man a new “tree” — the Cross. Now the only way for man to enter the
Plan of God is to exercise positive volition toward the saving work of Christ
on the Cross: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts
16:31). Why do we simply believe? There is nothing we can add to the finished
work of Christ Faith is non-meritorious. All the merit is in the Object of that
faith. Thus, even the simple mechanics of salvation are consistent with the
principle of grace (Eph. 2:8, 9).
For all who are positive toward His
Plan in Phase Two, the divine Blueprint encompasses many impressive provisions
and blessings (Eph. 3:20). However, God has also designed certain blessings for
unbelievers as well as believers who obey and appropriate His grace provisions
found in the laws of divine establishment.
DEFINITION
OF THE LAWS OF DIVINE ESTABLISHMENT
The laws of divine establishment are
principles ordained by God for the protection, orderly function, survival and blessing
of the human race. In His omniscience, God knew in advance that man would sin;
He was also fully cognizant that once man acquired an old sin nature, he would
have unlimited potential to destroy himself! Therefore, in order to perpetuate
man’s existence during the course of the angelic conflict, it was necessary to
set up for both believer and unbeliever a series of divine laws that would hold
the old sin nature in check. These laws also provide for the fullest expression
of individual freedom.
While the components of divine
establishment were in God’s Plan from eternity past, they came into existence
at various points of time, beginning with the creation of man in Genesis 1:26
and extending to the establishment of nations in Genesis 10:5. Within the laws
of establishment are the four divine institutions: Volition, Marriage, Family
and Nationalism. These apply to the entire human race — believers and
unbelievers — regardless of race, nationality, sex or any other factor.
THE
FOUR DIVINE INSTITUTIONS
Volition
Divine Institution Number One —
Volition — is not only the first principle of divine establishment and the key
to its proper function but is also the basic authority in the human race.
Divine establishment is God’s perfect Plan, yet it always involves human
volition. Adherence to these laws of establishment by a maximum number of
people in a national entity guarantees both human freedom and privacy. This
freedom of choice gives the individual the inherent right to “life, liberty,”
ownership of property “and the pursuit of happiness,” provided that the
individual does not violate the laws of establishment or the common law of a
nation.
The first divine institution was
established when God created man to operate rationally under the volition in
his own soul rather than according to his instincts. While there is variation
in human ability and capacity to learn, all individuals possess volition. God
might have computerized the human race so that He could program man to carry
out His Plan. Instead, it is His desire that we respond to His grace and serve
Him willingly, not react under some system of coercion. Therefore, volition is
a major issue in the angelic conflict; everyone must be a free agent to accept
or reject salvation (John 3:36), the most important decision anyone will ever
make.
The will of God is related to man’s
volition and is involved in every area of life, particularly in salvation and
in his spiritual advance.
The One who wills all mankind to receive salvation and to
advance to the full knowledge (EPIGNOSIS) of doctrine (expanded translation, 1
Tim. 2:4).
Since it is the sovereign will of
God that all members of the human race be saved and since Christ was judged on
the Cross for everyone, the exercise of man’s free will is a demonstration of
the grace solution to the angelic conflict. Christ’s strategic victory of the
Cross resolved the angelic conflict; man’s positive volition is a tactical
victory. Although God wills all mankind to be saved, some are not saved because
He honors free will, which gives man the responsibility to act either in
conjunction with or independently of the will of God.
Acting on positive volition, we
enter Phase Two, or the Christian life, the moment we believe in Christ. During
this time, human volition continues to function as we constantly make
decisions. We are free to accept or reject Bible doctrine as God’s Plan for
Phase Two. God has provided unlimited divine operating assets for the believer
in time: the Word of God, which contains all the information necessary for the
Christian to advance to spiritual maturity in accordance with the divine Plan;
the “grace apparatus for perception” (GAP), which enables every believer to
understand Bible doctrine. Positive volition toward doctrine is a prerequisite
to all stages of spiritual growth. Only the believer’s own negative volition
can limit or hinder continual progress.
The “advance to the full knowledge
of doctrine” is possible only through the persistent exercise of the grace
apparatus for perception, whereby we break the maturity barrier and move into
super-grace, ultra super-grace and dying grace. We may elect to attend Bible
class, to listen and to concentrate; or decide to go in the opposite direction,
reject the Plan of God for our lives and succumb to reversionism.
Marriage
Perhaps the second most important
decision in life is the choice of a lifetime partner — Divine Institution
Number Two — Marriage (Matt. 19:5). Both volition and marriage came into
existence in the Garden of Eden before the Fall (Gen. 2:22-24). Since the man
and the woman must be free to enter this mutual relationship, marriage becomes
a utilization of Divine Institution Number One. Divinely ordained, marriage is
structured to form the basic stability in a society. It totally rejects any
concept which contributes to anarchy, such as promiscuity, homosexuality,
communal living, polygamy or excessive divorce. God has designed one specific
man for one specific woman; consequently, each member of the human race,
believer or unbeliever, has a right opposite number, except in rare cases where
an individual possesses the gift of celibacy.
Under establishment, the marriage of
right man - right woman accomplishes three objectives: (1) it forms the most
basic unit of society; (2) it provides the proper framework and protection of
Category Two love; (3) it produces the foundation for Divine Institution Number
Three — the Family. Marriage, in which the authority is assigned to the man,
has as its primary function the protection of freedom both in the national
entity and in the individual union. When the woman surrenders her freedom to
her right man, he assumes the responsibility to guard and maintain her free
will, for this is the source of her love-response to him. Women were not
designed to be without some type of protection and authority; therefore, God
has assigned the right man to fulfill this responsibility. In the absence of a
right man, a woman must utilize doctrine for her authority and protection.
Family
Divine Institution Number Three, the
Family (Psa. 68:6), was established in Genesis 4:1 as the second fundamental
unit for the safeguard and perpetuation of the human race. The newborn infant
enters the world helpless; therefore, there must be a means of protection until
the child is able to provide for himself. The family unit offers him
discipline, material provision, training, security and guidance based on his
parents’ love for him until he reaches maturity — that time in life when he
must take full responsibility for his own decisions and actions.
In addition to providing food,
shelter and clothing, it is the duty of the parents to instill in their
children the proper norms and standards, to teach them how to evaluate
situations in life, to train them when to say “yes” and when to say “no’ and to
inculcate in them the principles of authority and self-discipline. While
parents have many responsibilities, the children have only one within the
family unit, and that is to respect and obey their parents (Eph. 6:1-3). Love
will follow as a natural consequence after the parents have properly
accomplished their job of training!
Nationalism
In the devil’s world, God must
provide safety for mankind. He has done so by dividing the world into national entities
with geographical boundaries in the formation of Divine Institution Number
Four. Adherence to the laws of establishment under nationalism furnishes
protection for each nation. In the Biblical concept, a national entity
encompasses all three categories — racial, geographical and linguistic.
Problems are often compounded when a nation is comprised of more than
one
race. Yet anyone who becomes a citizen of this country, often called the
“melting pot” because of its multiracial origins, relinquishes allegiance to
his former homeland and pledges loyalty to this, his adopted land.
Human government was founded in
Genesis 9 and 10, at the beginning of the Postdiluvian Civilization. Obeying
God’s command to “replenish the [whole] earth,” the descendants of Noah
scattered and resettled in accordance with the geographical boundaries set for
them (Gen. 10:5, 31, 32). However, as the population increased, the people were
reluctant to separate further and finally congregated in the fertile plains of
the Tigris-Euphrates Valley (Gen. 11:2). There, at Babel, in the satanically
inspired rebellion against God, the people instituted the concept of
internationalism. Because the one nation - one language concept is contrary to
the divine design for mankind, the human race might have become extinct but for
the grace of God. By enforcing His Plan of nationalism and by ordaining the
existence of many languages, God secured the
perpetuation
of mankind (Gen. 11:7-9).
God ordained the laws of
establishment to be the authority within a national entity. As the guardian of
freedom, each nation, whatever its form of government (parliamentary, monarchy,
republic, etc.), must protect the inherent right of the individual to privacy,
freedom and to the pursuit of a course of life based upon his own decisions and
ability within the legal framework of that particular type of government.
Furthermore, this freedom must insure the right of the individual to accept or
reject Jesus Christ as Savior (Acts 17:26-28).
While there are several excellent
forms of government, the laws of establishment can exist under any one of these
types. However, there is no way that any government can perpetuate itself
indefinitely. Every system of government contains the elements by which it will
eventually destroy itself: negative volition toward Bible doctrine on the part
of the believer, and rejection of the laws of divine establishment on the part
of both the believer and the unbeliever. Only adherence to the laws of
establishment and the grace of God can sustain a nation and its government for
any span of time!
The most tyrannical form of
government is a democracy, which means “rule of the many” and is based on the
assumption that all men are equal. Theoretically, democracy is the direct rule
of the people; but in practice, it is essentially a mob rule. The inability of a mob to think, plus minimal restraint on the old sin nature, precludes
any possibility of the proper function or perpetuation of this governmental
system. Alexander Hamilton perfectly described the tyranny of all democracies:
It
has been observed by an honourable gentleman that a pure democracy, if it were
practicable, would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that
no position in politics is more false than this. The ancient democracies, in
which the people themselves deliberated, never possessed one feature of good
government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity. When they
assembled, the field of debate presented an ungovernable mob, not only incapable
of deliberation, but prepared for every enormity. In these assemblies the
enemies of the people brought forward their plans of ambition systematically.
They were opposed by their enemies of another party; and it became a matter of
contingency, whether the people subjected themselves to be led blindly by one
tyrant or another.
The United States is not a
democracy. Our nation was originally founded as a constitutional republic,
which is a representative form of government. The only pure democracy existed
in fifth century B.C. Athens, and it soon dissolved into chaos. As Greece grew
into an empire, it was established on the principle of an oligarchy — the rule
of a few. The hypothesis that all people are equal is an unrealistic and untrue
premise. When Thomas Jefferson stated in the Declaration of Independence that
all men are created equal, he was saying in effect that the colonists were
equal to the citizens of England in the eyes of the law. He never meant to
imply that everyone was born with the same intelligence, abilities or talents.
Jefferson was fully aware of the inequality of man, as demonstrated by his
ownership of slaves and his beliefs regarding their lack of status in society.
The Madison/Jefferson letters reflect his complete thought regarding the
equality and inequality of man.
Tragically, we are no longer a true
republic; we are something between a democracy and a “mobocracy.” The
governmental concepts of our forefathers have been tragically perverted.
Satanic propaganda has steadily nibbled away at our constitutional foundations,
with the result that our once great nation is crumbling. No longer are we a
first-rate power nor even an establishment-oriented country as in the past.
Instead, we are accepting the evil substitutes of socialistic and communistic
ideology as the solutions to our social and economic problems. By ignoring
God’s specific design for nationalism, we have compounded the problems and
hastened our demise.
Because a republic depends upon the
sinew and vigor of the people, it rarely endures more than a few hundred years.
The Roman Republic, an exception to the norm, continued for five hundred years
before the Senate became so decadent that the nation began to disintegrate. Out
of the ensuing century-long civil war rose the triumvirate of Caesar, Pompey
and Crassus. After a top-echelon skirmish in which Crassus and Pompey were
eliminated, Julius Caesar emerged victorious as the administrative genius who
laid the foundation for the empire. His brilliant contributions to the Roman governmental
structure were so completely organized on the laws of divine establishment that
the empire enjoyed the longest and most phenomenal peace and prosperity of any
era in history.
The Bible advocates only one kind of
government — a monarchy. Historically, the most successful governments have
been some form of monarchy; in fact, the greatest government that will ever
exist will be the personal reign of the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ,
during the millennial dispensation.”
Although both marriage and family
are also involved, it is basically Nationalism, Divine Institution Number Four,
which furnishes protection for Divine Institution Number One — Volition. In his
famous war cry during the preliminary days of the War for Independence, Patrick
Henry dramatized this very relationship between Divine Institutions One and
Four. His fiery conclusion, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” expressed the
entire principle in a nutshell!
Freedom is the atmosphere and
environment for spiritual growth. The believer’s self-determination in the
expression of positive volition toward Bible doctrine can function only in a
free nation. Throughout the history of nationalism, the religious and political
climate of many nations — from the Sumero-Akkadian Empire of Ur (Gen. 11:31)
down to the present-day communist bloc — has stifled the function of GAP. Separation from such tyranny becomes a must for spiritual progress!
Just as Abraham could not advance under the shadow of idolatry and evil and was
therefore commanded by God to separate from it, so many people have been forced
to migrate to our country since its founding in order to escape the
stranglehold that choked their freedom in their own nation.
PRINCIPLES
INVOLVED UNDER NATIONALISM
Interior
Protection
Interior protection in a national
entity, which is the guardian of human freedom, is achieved through proper
enforcement and administration of the law, supported by the people and whatever
form of government exists. There must be equitable systems of establishing
evidence in the courts, strict punitive measures for those who are guilty
(Eccl. 8:11) and the immediate release of those who are innocent. The entire
internal security of a people is based upon the justice and skillful
administration of its law, which is designed to punish the guilty and to
protect the innocent.
Capital Punishment
How
tragic is the apathy and lack of respect in this country today in regard to the
law and its enforcement! Our police officers can be shot down and, except in rare
instances, only minor disciplinary action is taken against the offender. After
spending a few years in jail, criminals are released to repeat their crimes!
When a murderer’s guilt is properly established by conclusive evidence in a
court of law, that person should be removed from the earth. Execution is the
only answer! The law
must
have “teeth,” and by that I mean capital punishment!
There is a wide area of disagreement
today regarding the validity of capital punishment. Its opponents and
proponents alike cite the Bible to prove their position. Is the death penalty
indeed a Biblical principle? Is killing condoned under any circumstances? What
about the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, “Thou shalt not kill” (Ex.
20:13)? The failure to “rightly divide the word of truth” has resulted in many
unfortunate distortions of the concept of “killing.” The Bible authorizes three
types of killing: (1) killing the enemy in battle for the preservation of
national freedom (Dent. 7:2; Eccl. 3:8; Mark 13:7); (2) for personal
self-defense (2 Sam. 21:17; Eccl. 3:3); (3) for the function of the state in
executing the criminal (Rom. 13:4).
RATSACH, the Hebrew word for
“murder,” is used in the sixth commandment rather than KATAL, the usual word for “kill”; therefore, it is a prohibition against
homicide (cf. Matt 19:18). This commandment is designed for the preservation of
Divine Institution Number One - Volition. Murder deprives an individual of his
life and freedom. Since the operation of free will is the basic issue in the
angelic conflict, the heinous crime of murder was an invention of Satan to
obliterate this very principle. Indeed, could he succeed in the total
destruction of the human race, he would win the angelic conflict by default!
Thus, it is obvious that this strategy of the devil to neutralize the angelic
conflict must be restrained by the most drastic
measures
— a life for a life (Ex. 21:23).
Why, then, you may wonder, did God
not pronounce the sentence of capital punishment on the first murderer in human
history — Cain? The answer to this question will also give us an insight into
the Biblical history of law and the development of the divine institutions,
which include capital punishment.
Up to that point in human history,
there had been no physical death, let alone murder. In fact, it required the
brilliant intellect of Cain, a reversionistic unbeliever under the influence of
satanic evil, to devise a way to kill. Cain had watched his brother Abel
slaughter scores of animals. Eventually, he deduced that a man could also be
caused to die by the same means. From his observance of animal sacrifices, he
made an evil application: using Abel’s own sacrificial knife, Cain cut his
unsuspecting brother’s throat. The New Testament commentary on Cain’s crime is
described by the Greek work SPHAZO in 1 John 3:12, which means
“to kill a sacrificial animal” — that is, to use the sacrificial knife to slit
the victim’s throat.
In His omniscience, God was
cognizant of Abel’s murder from eternity past; omnipresent God actually
witnessed the scene and knew every detail; divine justice now demanded a trial
(Psa. 116:15). Since the laws of establishment were not yet instituted, the
first murder became a matter for the personal attention of the Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court of Heaven. Cain’s trial, therefore, would be unique. However,
only those details essential to our understanding of the angelic conflict have
been recorded.
Under the perfect justice of God,
Cain’s trial was absolutely fair in every respect. But Cain’s response to the
interrogation repeatedly revealed a distortion of doctrine and disorientation
to reality so typical of the reversionistic criminal mind. He covered for his
violence by deceit and thus disclaimed all responsibility for his own decisions
and actions. He further evaded the Lord’s question regarding the whereabouts of
Abel by twisting the doctrine of privacy. His retort, “Am I my brother’s
keeper?” stated a true doctrine — he was not his brother’s keeper! However,
note his hypocrisy: he claimed to respect Abel’s privacy only after he had
permanently violated it; then he turned around and used it in his defense!
Even though there was as yet no
standard established for the crime of murder, Cain knew by instinct he was
doing wrong; otherwise, he would have seen no necessity to bury the evidence!
But nothing is hidden from God, and the blood of his victim shrieked to God for
vengeance (Gen. 4:10). Divine justice cannot and did not overlook the crime. To
do so would be a compromise of God’s essence. However, the implication is that
ignorance is no excuse. Intent is not a factor with God, as it is in our
present law. We define homicide in terms of first, second and third degree,
which involves intent. The murder of a loved one is of little consequence in our
mixed-up, reversionistic society, which always ignores the blood crying from
the ground and pities the murderer! But the blood of a murder victim sends up
signals to God until justice overtakes the culprit (Job 16:18, 19; Isa. 26:21;
Ezek. 24:7-9; Rev. 6:9, 10).
Antediluvian
Law
In the Postdiluvian Civilization,
under the laws of divine establishment, the crime of murder would demand the
death penalty. But since Cain’s crime occurred before God had given man the
principle of capital punishment, the Lord imposed a unique sentence, which
would be representative of the Antediluvian Civilization.
And
now you are being cursed from the ground which has opened its mouth to receive
your brother’s blood from your hands. When you cultivate the ground, it shall not
gather in (seed) to give you its strength. You shall become both a wanderer and
a fugitive on the earth (expanded trans., Gen. 4:11,12).
This was a harsh penalty for a man
who loved his profession and was proud of his superior agricultural abilities.
Cain was not executed because at that time there was no law against murder, nor
had a punishment been designated. Although it was both sin and evil, murder had
not been defined in relation to the laws of establishment. Even more important,
to remove Cain from the earth in this stage of history would destroy the import
of the angelic conflict. Throughout man’s history, Cain’s progeny, which would
form Satan’s seed (unbelievers), must coexist with God’s seed (believers — Gen.
3:15), not only to have the opportunity to be saved but also to manifest the
principles with which believers must cope in every generation. In these
extenuating circumstances, the justice of God placed Cain under a lifetime
sentence which involved a double curse.
First, Cain would no longer be
permitted to pursue his profession of farming. The earth would no longer
respond to the cultivating hand of Cain. Second, Cam was set apart from society
as an established criminal. People could not look at him without saying, “There
is Cain, the murderer”; and this would constitute a form of isolation. This
twofold punishment was the forerunner of imprisonment for the separation of the
criminal from society. A third punishment, execution, would not be added until
the establishment of the divine institution of nationalism (Gen. 9:6; 10:32).
God knows exactly how to fit the punishment to the crime; in Cain’s case, it
was calculated to make him miserable for life! Yet it was a grace punishment, a
reminder to Cain of his need for salvation, for at any time, he could exercise
positive volition toward the Gospel.
Then
Cain said to JEHOVAH, my punishment is too great
to bear (expanded
trans., Gen. 4:13).
Cain was more concerned about the
consequences of his crime to himself than about the crime itself. This is true
of the criminal mind: there is no conscience or remorse involved for violating
the freedom and rights of another — only self-pity and occupation with his own
rights! Yet Cain ignored the fact that his crime had canceled the rights of his
brother; consequently, he had forfeited his own personal rights.
In his punishment, Cain was deprived
of a normal life because criminals are
abnormal. Not only is it ludicrous, but it is also dangerous for the law to
recognize the insanity plea for a criminal. Insanity is part of being criminal!
Criminals are always divorced from reality! Furthermore, regardless of a
criminal’s frame of mind, he still acts from his own volition and must be held
responsible for his actions.
Behold,
You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground (loss of
occupation), and from Your face I shall be hidden. Therefore, I shall become a
wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and it shall come to pass that anyone
finding me shall (try to) murder me (expanded trans., Gen. 4:14).
Cain realized the severity of the
sentence; and although he had rejected God’s Plan, he did not wish to be driven
out of the area of blessing. Unbelievers as well as believers benefit from the
proper function of the laws of divine establishment. But, like Cain, many shirk
or even defy the very laws that sustain them. Our jails today are filled with
Cain’s reversionistic counterparts who want the grace- blessings of this
country without the responsibility of obeying its laws. The “sick society” is one
that is filled with a maximum number of antiestablishment reversionists. Unless
they are executed, God will eventually have to destroy the nation!
When Cain surveyed the monstrous
situation that he had created by his crime, he became afraid for his own life.
In his reversionistic imagination, he already anticipated a large army of
revenge-seekers from the ever increasing line of believers ready to avenge
Abel’s death. He at once recognized the trend of the Antediluvian Civilization
toward violence. By introducing murder into the human race, Cain had set a
precendent which might boomerang on himself at any time.
When a criminal violates the laws of
establishment, he becomes wary of everyone, for the law no longer constitutes a
defense. Whenever establishment is set aside or destroyed, its protective vigor
dwindles and society, stripped of freedom and privacy, becomes a deadly jungle
in which every individual must fend for himself. In such an unstable
environment, the constant threat of violence precludes living a normal life.
The divine judgment gave Cain such a
sense of insecurity that he appealed his sentence. His appeal also explains the
reason for the necessity of capital punishment. Without this restraint, people
would take the law into their own hands to avenge the murder of loved ones and
would turn the world into a great blood-feud.
Consequently, the Lord said to him, Therefore, whoever
murders Cain shall be punished seven- fold. Consequently, the Lord established
for Cain a mark (sign) that no one finding him should kill him (without
suffering punishment) (expanded trans., Gen. 4:15).
Cain had to be shielded from human
reprisal; but more important, law-abiding citizens must be protected from the
temptation of taking criminal action against the murderer. Though the criminal,
by his lawlessness, has forfeited his freedom and deserves punishment, any
punitive measures are the prerogative of duly authorized personnel, not of any
private individual. Whoever pursues vengeance deprives himself of the same
establishment benefits lost by the criminal.
“Sevenfold” expresses the intensity
of divine retribution toward the avenger who takes the law into his own hands.
Anyone seeking to retaliate against Cain would be guilty of a worse crime;
moreover, he would reduce himself to the level of the criminal! Uncontrolled,
emotional vigilante action is never justified, nor is it a legitimate solution
to crime. Vigorous, lawful measures on the part of law enforcement officers and
increased punishment in the hands of professional judges are the ingredients
which stem the tide of vicious criminal activity.
The “mark of Cain,” therefore,
represented a principle of divine law in the Antediluvian Civilization. It was
not an additional punishment, nor was it the source of the melanoderm races, as
some commentators have fancifully alleged. Whatever its appearance, it was
merely a visible sign to designate the offender and to restrain further violent
activity. Prison bars today are analogous to the mark of Cain. Just as jail
cells isolate the prisoner from unauthorized punishment, so Cain’s protective
warning sign said in effect, “Do not attack this man and become a criminal
yourself. Divine justice has already been enacted!”
God’s judgment took the place of
human government to provide a law to protect the fledgling human race from
destroying itself in one massive vendetta. The insertion of law into the human
race was also a safeguard for the freedom, privacy and function of mankind so
that evangelism might occur in every generation. Cain’s mark became the
antediluvian modus operandi and a portent of the future system of law under
divine establishment. It would be replaced by human government in the
Postdiluvian Civilization. Not until after the population had expanded and the
angelic conflict had become a full-scale engagement with the human race did God
ordain capital punishment as the establishment solution to capital crimes such
as murder and rape (Gen. 9:5, 6; Ex. 21:12, 14; Num. 35:30, 31). When
government fails in this responsibility, as has the administration in the
United States during the past decade, law enforcement becomes so weakened that
crime cannot be controlled, and the freedom of the law-abiding citizen can no
longer be protected.
Exterior
Protection
Exterior protection of a nation is
delegated to the military establishment. The Bible has much to say concerning
the role of the military, for it is designed by God to be the means of
defending and preserving national sovereignty and freedom, both in the area of
armed force (Num. 31:3-5; 32; Josh. 5:13-6:3; Judg. 3:2; 7; Neh. 4:14; Psa.
18:34; Matt. 24:6; Rev. 19:11) and as an intelligence agency (Josh. 2; 1 Sam.
30:11-18). We are free today in the United States because for two hundred years
our valiant men have died on battlefields all over the world, and our enemies
have been annihilated. Many of you became believers after World War II; yet you might not have had the liberty to hear the Gospel had it not
been for the magnificent American Army which fought in that war! Those who
sneer at the uniform and ridicule the military establishment are being
congratulated by the devil! He may even pass out medals. There is nothing more
disgraceful than the failure to recognize an axiom which is conspicuous
throughout the pages of the Word of God:
Freedom comes only through
military victory!
General Douglas MacArthur eloquently
expressed this Biblical truth when he accepted the Japanese surrender on the
Battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. He said, “The issues . . . have been
determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our
discussion or debate!” There is no room for argument with totally victorious
armed forces! But when a nation’s military is so weakened as to be incapable of
victory, it cannot restrain foreign predators, and thus freedom is destroyed
from without. Our liberties are secured by bona tide warfare, which then
permits the government to function properly in perpetuating our individual
freedoms. On the other hand, the satanic and liberal thinking of the pacifist
politician squanders our hard-earned independence.
The violence of evildoers can be
restrained only by the greater violence of righteousness. Divine establishment
represents that righteousness embodied in the concept of a prepared military.
The principle of military establishment is based on the fact that a stronger
righteous power provides freedom from the encroaching forces of evil. The
battlefield victories of the nations which employ the violence of righteousness
and establishment have made it possible for the human race to continue in this
phase of the angelic conflict.
In his aggressive domination of the
world, the rapacious violence of Genghis Khan and subsequent Mongol hordes of
thirteenth century turned a large civilization in Asia into a desert. Had it
not been for a few Polish, Austrian, Prussian, Hungarian and Greek knights who
had the courage to oppose these invading enemies by exerting the utmost
justified violence. Western Europe would be Mongolian today! Similar instances
have occurred in other periods of history. Why is all Europe not Mohammedan?
Because Charles Martel and a group of organized, proestablishment,
military-minded individuals used legitimate violence to kill Mohammedans and
drive them back beyond the Pyrenees. With her fantastic army, navy and air
force, the United States of America moved in to help suppress the tyranny of
Japan and Germany in World War II. It takes an incredible
amount of violence to preserve national independence! Justified violence
related to establishment is the sole deterrent to violent aggression and is the
means of perpetuating freedom; nonestablishment violence is invariably
disoriented to reality and seeks to strangle freedom!
Few politicians in this country
today understand the difference between evil violence and righteous violence,
as demonstrated by the cutback of all our military services in favor of welfare
and other disastrously socialistic programs. Our lack of moral courage is seen
in our rejection of the doctrine that evil powers must be subdued by legitimate
forces. We no longer demonstrate the backbone needed to prevent the aggression
of communism. If this cowardice continues, we will inevitably be subjected
either to enemy takeover by blackmail of the rattling saber or to actual attack
by one or both of the major communist powers. Violence of anarchy and
antiestablishment is out of control in many areas of the United States of
America. We send wheat to the Soviet Union to sustain Russians who are producing
war materiel that will eventually be turned toward our destruction.
The
Military Image of Jesus Christ
No nation remains free without
having that freedom challenged. In both the struggle for and the perpetuation
of Jewish freedom after the Exodus, Jesus Christ Himself was the Commander in
Chief of the Jewish Armies.
. . . Joshua . . . lifted up his eyes and looked, and,
behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand:
and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our
adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host {armies] of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face . . . and did worship, and
said . . . What saith my Lord unto his servant (Josh. 5:13,14)?
Jesus Christ issued instructions to
annihilate the enemy to spare neither man, woman, child nor animal (Dent. 7:2;
Josh. 11:20) When His command was not obeyed completely, the Israelites
suffered dire repercussions, even for generations to follow (Judg. 2:1-15). The
Lord Jesus Christ holds the record for slaughtering the enemy. At His word, the
Assyrian Army of 185,000 infantrymen was destroyed in one night (Isa. 37:36).
He will break His own record in this application of righteous violence at the
close of the Tribulation (the seven years which comprise the conclusion of the
Jewish Age), when He will decimate the military invaders in the Middle East,
and the blood will run as high as the horses’ bridles (Rev. 14:20).
And a sharp broadsword proceeds from His mouth, in order
that with it (the sword) He might strike and kill the armies of the invading
nations; and He shall govern them with a scepter of iron; and prior to this, He
treads down the winepress of the wine of the anger of God, even the almighty
(omnipotent) One (expanded trans., Rev. 19:15).
Today many believers would censure
the Lord Jesus Christ if they understood the impact of this passage. They
envision Him only as the meek and mild Jesus Who spoke in terms of turning the
other cheek (Matt. 5:39). However, the Sermon on the Mount deals with His own
reign over the earth and will not be fulfilled until the Millennium, after the
Second Advent.
Modern liberalism has pilfered
support from many of the Biblical statements concerning the Millennium, which it
has attempted to associate falsely with our present dispensation. For example,
such passages as “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruninghooks” (Isa. 2:4), or “nations shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Mic. 4:3) have
absolutely nothing to do with this age. During the Dispensation of the Church
and the Tribulation which follows, there will be “wars and rumors of wars”
(Matt 24:6). Those who “turn the other cheek” in these periods of time will be
destroyed by evil violence! Only the return and reign of Jesus Christ will
assure universal peace, and that will be based upon His decisive execution of
righteous violence to destroy evil violence in the final battle at Armageddon.
Preparation
for War and Peace
To insure peace, you must be
prepared for war! Instead of disarmament, the objective of any intelligent
nation is to be well prepared and well armed. Only those individuals living in
a fool’s paradise encourage disarmament, antiwar demonstrations and the burning
of draft cards! They have misapplied certain Scriptures and completely
distorted others. In any generation, righteous violence is absolutely essential
for the preservation of national freedom.
In another period of Jewish history,
when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, the nation was only a small group of
people, disarmed and surrounded by enemies. Threatened from the north by the
Samaritans, from the southwest by the Philistines, from the east by the
Moabites and from the south by the Edomites and Arabs, the Jews were in
desperate straits. Nehemiah, an administrator under the King of Persia and a
brilliant military genius, had been granted leave to aid his stricken people.
He immediately organized a Jewish Army for the defense of Jerusalem while the
reconstruction of the crumbling walls was in progress. When the army was
assembled, he addressed the troops in order to inspire battlefield courage.
And I inspected and stood up on a platform, and spoke to
the generals, to the commissioned officers and the rank and file of the army:
Be not afraid of them; remember the Lord, Who is a great Warrior, and fight to
kill for your nation, for your sons and daughters (families), for your wives,
and your homes (expanded trans., Neh. 4:14).
Though physically outnumbered by the
enemy forces, the Jews had a vastly superior strength on their side the Lord of
the Armies, Jesus Christ. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom.
3:21b) was Nehemiah’s battle cry! If Jesus Christ did not hesitate to kill the
enemy, neither should they! Then Nehemiah reminded them of the divine
institutions, which are the motivation for justified warfare: their nation —
Divine Institution Number Four; their families Number Three; their right women
— Number Two; their homes — Number One — the concept of freedom and privacy and
the right (volition) to follow a course of life as law-abiding citizens.
Many of you men, as believers in
Jesus Christ and as members of an authorized military unit, will engage in combat
with Communists. At that time, I want you to remember this precept: when you,
filled with the Spirit, kill the enemy, you are fulfilling your Christian
responsibility! You are producing divine good. You are protecting your wives,
your sweethearts and your country, and both you and they should thank God for
every one you kill. Never return home with a guilt complex. The profession of
arms is an ancient and honorable calling.
And
it came to pass that when our enemies (the four nations) heard that we were
prepared, and God has brought their plans to nothing, that we returned all of
us to the wall, every one unto his work (expanded trans., Neh. 4:15).
A prepared national military heads
off enemy aggression. The only way to avoid war is to be adequately equipped in
advance! Understandably, man desires peace, and his freedom is best expressed
in times of peace; but the manner of achieving and maintaining that peace has
been the subject of much debate throughout history. Disoriented, unrealistic
individuals advocate peace through capitulation to the enemy; they assume they
can usher in world peace by good will. Yet, despite man’s efforts for peace,
warfare will continue until the Millennium (Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9);
therefore, for the preservation of nationalism, war is an inevitable, indeed,
an essential part of history (Num. 21:14; Eccl. 3:8).
No nation ever achieved a more
impressive record for maintaining national peace than the Romans, who enjoyed
several periods of over one hundred years without war. Why? Because of their
total military preparedness! Tacitus, a Roman historian, explained the power
and strength of SPQR: “The tranquility of a
nation is not preserved without arms. The troops cannot be maintained without
pay, and their pay cannot be made good without taxes.” Taxation, a bona fide
function of government, is the source of support for a military organization.
“Pax Romana’ (the peace of Rome) meant not only peace for Rome but for all its
client states and provinces as well. As a result, the Augustan Age sponsored
the second great cultural surge of Western European civilization.
Armies can defend freedom with
righteous violence or destroy it with unrighteous violence. National
sovereignty, freedom and integrity inevitably depend on the winning army and,
as a rule, the superior force! In Jeremiah 12:12, the Chaldean Army was
destroying the freedom of the Jews; in Jeremiah 34:7, the Jewish Army was
struggling to defend their liberty. When the Chaldean Army emerged victorious,
Jewish freedom became a page in history (Jer. 40). Amazingly, Jewish training
had previously been so excellent that the regular army resisted for eighteen
months before the Jews were conquered. Lack of equipment and coordination
between units eventually spelled the doom of their only remaining fighting
force.
A portion of divine judgment against
a nation is military defeat, which accompanies the fifth cycle of discipline
and the enslavement of the people. There is always a decline in the military
establishment before this judgment occurs. The fifth cycle of discipline was
administered to Assyria in 612 B.C., but the Assyrian military had been
deteriorating for thirty years. The Chaldean military, in the process of decay
since the death of Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B.C., was easily subdued by the
Persians in 539 B.C. The same was true for both the Northern Kingdom of Israel
and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Thus, when a nation’s armed forces are
demoralized and unprepared, the nation is in grave danger of losing in war and
forfeiting the freedom of its people.
Since freedom is secured on the
battlefield, universal military training is a vital factor in national survival
(Num. 31:3-5; Neh. 4; Luke 14:31). Initially, the Jewish nation subscribed to
universal military training; but with the passing years, the reduction in
forces (RIF) gradually depleted the army until it virtually ceased to exist!
Happinesses to the people who keep knowing the sound of
the trumpet (those who answer the call to universal military training — not to
those who are conscientious objectors): they shall march and advance, 0
Jehovah, in the light (Bible doctrine) of your face (Jesus Christ) (expanded trans., Psa.
89:15).
There is double happiness to the
nation which continues to respond to the call to military preparedness. The
plural of the Hebrew noun ASHERE, “happinesses,” has a
two-fold connotation. First, the security derived from universal military
training raises the quality of young men in any generation. The service regimen
can take a “wimp” and transform him into a real man! Why? It teaches him the
self-discipline, team-discipline, respect for authority, polish and poise so
necessary in life. Second, if the quality of the men is improved, the women are
blessed by association. Military training is futile if the men in the nation
are degenerate, apostate and antiestablishment, full of emotional revolt and
scar tissue. Under these conditions of the soul, self-discipline and respect
for authority are nonexistent; consequently, the idea of a volunteer army
becomes ludicrous. Although there are many fine people serving in VOLAR, it cannot meet the communist threat of the present hour. Every
able-bodied American man, from eighteen years on, should spend a portion of his
life learning the military skills. This is the only answer to our military
problems today.
There are two ways by which a nation
is preserved in a crisis: the victorious action of the military or the
existence of super-grace believers. When the military is unable to function
because of the evil policy of national rulers or because of general apostasy
from reversionism, the only hope for the nation lies in a maximum number of
super-grace believers. Jesus Christ controls history, and His direct
intervention preserves mature believers who have been faithful in taking in the
Word,
as
expressed by the last half of Psalm 89:15. If the nucleus of mature believers
is large enough, the entire nation is delivered (Psa. 46; Isa. 28:4-6; 37:31).
“March and advance’ in Psalm 89:15
is a transition from the military concept of universal military training to the
spiritual factor in preserving a nation. There is a relationship between the
military establishment and spiritual progress. Enlistment in the service is
analogous to entrance into the Plan of God through salvation. Once you enlist,
you are in full-time Christian service. Advance in the military is achieved by
learning to respect authority — first, from the drill instructor. In the
spiritual life, advance is accomplished through concentration on the message of
your spiritual authority, the pastor-teacher. Both require self-discipline
which, in the-spiritual realm, is the assimilation of Bible doctrine. Each
generation must learn discipline and authority to perpetuate both national and
spiritual greatness.
Military defeat on the battlefield
is an indication of the lack of self-discipline, spiritual incentive,
motivation for courage and respect for authority, which are the essential
components in the perpetuation of freedom. Failure of the military can also be
an index of the character and stability of the population of that national
entity. In fact, God often uses the military in action to demonstrate the
spiritual and moral degeneracy of a nation, as in the conquest of Judah by
Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. Sometimes defeat will come to the nation which fails
to correctly interpret history as well as
current
events. This factor, coupled with the overruling will of God, explains the
decline of certain military forces throughout history that otherwise had superb
leadership.
In his last words, Nathan Hale,
symbolizing the spirit of patriotism, left a noble heritage for all Americans
when he courageously declared, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for
my country!” Try to find a Nathan Hale today among the hippies and hopheads or
the long-haired, antiestablishment types! This country is filled with
sycophants and trash, as well as short-sighted mothers who are afraid their
sons might get hurt if they enter the service. Everyone will suffer if we do
not have the right kind of men in the military! When the men of high character
fight and die to defend the cowardly parasites who remain behind to propagate
more parasites, eventually, the people who are establishment oriented cease to
exist (Psa. 12:1), and the surviving leeches destroy the nation! Those who
understand these laws of divine establishment know it is better to die with
honor on the field of battle than to be a slave — or worse!
Used as a political football to gain
votes, our military establishment is undergoing the worst period of neglect in
our modern history. This means that when the “balloon” goes up and we are
forced into war, the lives of some of our finest men will be sacrificed in order
to buy the time necessary to train new men. Such are the tragic consequences of
political expediency and pacifist attitudes.
Characteristics
of Good Military Leadership
Another index of national character
is the type of leadership it produces, whether civilian or military (Prov.
24:1-6). Business, professional and military leadership in this country has
excelled in the past and has been one of the keys to our greatness as a nation.
All successful leaders are flexible, have a relaxed mental attitude under
pressure and have the ability to vigorously resolve any contingency at the most
advantageous time. They make policy on the basis of principle rather than on
conformity to a personality image. Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan Jackson, John
J. Pershing and Douglas MacArthur, to name a few, possessed fantastic mental
attitude dynamics under stress and pressure.
Military leadership demands
self-discipline, group-discipline, a sense of responsibility and moral courage.
Effective leadership includes fighting for the military, as well as fighting as
the military! Military leaders must also possess the confidence which is
derived through professional understanding and knowledge of military science.
Some of the most self-assured commanders in history — from Napoleon to
Schlieffen — had a phenomenal concept of logistics, strategy and tactics.
Common sense, good judgment, loyalty, recognition of authority, fairness to all
personnel regardless of personal prejudices,
an understanding of others, executive ability, good health, flair, poise and
courtesy are all vital in military leadership.
Economy
Based on Free Enterprise
The foundation for the economic
prosperity of a nation is free enterprise. Every country that has operated under
free enterprise principles has been singularly blessed. Largely as the result
of American free enterprise, the economy of many areas flourished, such as West
Germany, Southern France and Northern Italy, particularly from 1870 until
around 1910. When Woodrow Wilson became president in 1913, an era of good
economy built on free enterprise began to decline.
Under a resurgence of free
enterprise, American industry and ingenuity reached its peak during the World
War II era and enabled us to contribute immeasurably to
the winning of that war. Immediately after the war, our free enterprise system
maintained the economy, provided jobs for men who returned from the war, and
gave them the opportunity to go as far as their ability could carry them with
the freedom they so recently had won.
Few people recognize the
relationship between free enterprise and a good military establishment. Yet
this principle has been understood at various periods in history, as
demonstrated by the Great Elector, Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia.
During his reign over these two sections of land in Northern Germany, there
existed at the same time a group of believers in France called the Huguenots,
whose lives were centered in Bible doctrine. They formed the stable middle-class
industrial backbone of France until Roman Catholic persecutions and the repeal
of the Edict of Nantes, which had guaranteed their religious freedom, forced
them to leave their mother country. Where did they go?
At the invitation of Frederick
William, who promised them capital, religious liberty and freedom from
governmental interference in industry, the Huguenots moved to
Brandenburg-Prussia. There, under the system of free enterprise, they set up a
phenomenal industrial complex and laid the foundation for a powerful military
establishment that was still in effect in the days of Frederick William’s
grandson and continued for 150 years. Subsequently, under Bismark, there
emerged a unified German state whose greatness and power were a direct result
of its adherence to the principles of divine establishment.
Government was never intended to
regulate the lives and industry of individuals. Rather, it is established to
protect their inherent rights of privacy and freedom. As a believer in Jesus
Christ, you had better take another look at industry, because you are looking
at the last stand! The men in industry are supporting the population of this
country. If you wipe out big business, little business will also collapse.
Every business organization is in some way related to the industrial structure.
You cannot name a business that does not depend on some industry. All the money
that is given to the Lord’s work ultimately comes from industry — a significant
reason why God has ordained free enterprise as part of the laws of
establishment.
In Jeremiah, the economic disaster
of Judah is related to the rejection of the laws of divine establishment.
For
the mountains (where the sheep industry is located) I will lift up weeping and
a song of wailing, and for the pastures of the open fields a song of
lamentation, because they are destroyed by fire so that no one can pass through
them, nor hear the voice of the flock; both the birds of the heavens fly away,
and the cattle are gone (expanded trans., Jer. 9:10).
Industry is defined in this context
under the concept of an agricultural economy. At that time, business had been
operating under free enterprise; but because of the decline of establishment in
other areas, particularly the military, industry was also crippled. Military
and economic disintegration opened the doors to the invading army, and Judah’s
land was devastated!
Like Jeremiah, as we see our
personal freedoms gradually diminishing, we may wonder how much longer we can
exist as a free nation. The decline in one area of establishment is always
related to the decline in other areas. Which takes precedence may vary from
time to time and from nation to nation; in fact the deterioration may occur
simultaneously.
When free enterprise is destroyed
and socialism is instituted, taxes are increased to support such travesties as
socialized medicine and a guaranteed minimum wage, while the military funds are
decreased. Then it is only a matter of how the nation will go out: a depression
from the dissolution of big business; widespread disease as a result of
socialized medicine and consequent lack of incentive in the medical profession;
a take-over by organized crime because the citizenry has been disarmed; or
invasion by enemy forces and loss of freedom due to depletion of the military!
We in this country are on the verge of economic and military collapse; and just
as tears came to Jeremiah’s eyes as he watched the disintegration of Judah, so
we should not only weep but pray for our country as it faces this danger!
Common
Law
In a national entity, there must be
a single system of law which operates according to the principle of
objectivity. Under this judicial uniformity, there are two types of laws — one
that controls governmental function, and another that settles and regulates
matters among people within the framework of a nation. Legislation should never
encroach upon freedom; it is designed to protect the life and freedom, privacy
and property of law-abiding citizens.
Law is perverted when it is used as
an attempt to make people equal, when it caters to expediency or places the
honest citizen in jeopardy under the guise of the satanic policy of the
greatest good for the greatest number. A recent occurrence in an eastern state
is a case in point. In the process of being robbed in his home, a well-to-do
citizen shot and wounded the intruder. Not only did the criminal recover, but
he subsequently sued the homeowner and was awarded substantial damages which
bankrupted the man! In many states, the law has been so distorted that the use
of firearms to protect one’s life, family or property from criminal activity no
longer constitutes a legal defense.
When the legal system breaks down
under subjective legislation or when good law is administered by reversionists.
it is a simple matter for the criminal to violate the law without suffering any
serious reprisal. Most criminal activity is the result of rationalization from
blackout and scar tissue of the soul (the latter stages of reversionism). The
miscreant rationalizes that since the legal system will shield him, he can
indiscriminately murder, steal, rape, destroy property or indulge in any minor
or major infraction of the law. So effective have been the demands of the
criminal for his “rights’ that
today
he has been rendered almost immune to punishment. In reality, the criminal
forfeited his rights when he violated the law. The only right any lawbreaker
has is the right to a fair trial! When the law becomes the basis of removing
liberty and intruding upon the privacy of the innocent, thus subjecting private
citizens to criminal activity and violence, the country has lost the use and
protection of its law.
The law is intended to restrain
crime, to prosecute and remove violators from society and at the same time to
protect law-abiding citizens; yet well-meaning and sincere but misguided
legislators in reversionism are enacting laws that make almost any manner of
crime a non-punishable offense! Criminals, so to speak, come in the front door
of the Justice Building but are let out through the back door! The
deterioration of law is as evident today as the network of crime syndicates,
which operate freely and with impunity.
Much of our present legislation is
soft on crime; furthermore, it represents the greatest intrusion upon personal
liberty that has ever existed in this country. Many of the invasions of our
privacy are perpetrated under some subtle ruse, such as the population census
or the income tax. Most people are not even aware that these are attacks upon their
freedom and privacy. I recently read an article entitled “Frogs and Freedom,”
which perfectly describes what is currently happening to our freedoms.
There’s
an old story that says you can’t kill a frog by dropping him in boiling water.
He reacts so quickly to the sudden heat that he jumps out before he’s hurt. But
if you put him in cold water and then warm it up gradually, he never decides to
jump till it’s too late. By then he’s cooked.
Men
are just as foolish. Take away their freedom overnight, and you’ve got a
violent revolution. But steal it from them gradually (under the guise of
(security,’ ‘peace,’ or ‘progress’) and you can paralyze an entire generation.
Look at the income tax. It started out as a harmless sounding 1%. It would have
been easy to jump out of water as tepid as this, but like the frog we waited
while it climbed even higher. (Try jumping now!)
Worst
of all, we never learn. Even today we cannot believe that Medicare is the same
warm water that will one day boil us in Socialized Medicine. We see no
connection between farm price supports and Nationalized Agriculture. And if we
draw a parallel between subsidized teachers’ pay and federal control of
education, we are called ‘extremist.’
The
tragedies of history are always repeated by those who refuse to learn them. To
seek guidance from the past is not ‘turning the clock back,’ as we are so often
told. It is merely a good way to keep out of hot water.
Gun legislation, as advocated today,
is another prime example of our liberties being swallowed up by governmental
interference. According to our Constitution, law-abiding citizens have the
right to own and to use firearms; and all legislation should defend that right.
The interdiction of this privilege will only result in the removal of guns from
honest citizens and leave weapons in the hands of the felon. Since he knows he
is the only one who is armed, his job is facilitated immensely!
Crime is not the result of
individual ownership of firearms! The same factor that produces a weak society
produces crime: reversionism and the influence of evil in the souls of
individuals. When you have a sick society, you also have a maximum number of
criminals in that society because an evil society cannot restrain crime. Before
a person becomes a criminal, he has entered into the last stages of
reversionism — blackout of the soul and scar tissue — where he is totally
influenced by evil, not sin. You must understand that sin is not synonymous
with evil. While evil and sin often overlap and certain types of evil are also
sinful, evil embodies the entire satanic policy, which is antiestablishment and
anti-doctrine.
Crime, therefore, does not originate
directly in the old sin nature. While it is true that all criminals are sinners
because everyone in the human race possesses an old sin nature (Rom. 3:25), yet
not all sinners are criminals. Crime involves other influences related to evil:
human volition and deliberate violation of the laws of divine establishment.
Thus, restraints on the volition restrain crime, and this is one of the major
factors for the existence of the laws of divine establishment.
Common
Culture
There must be a common culture in a
national entity which reflects the spiritual life, the morality, the nobility
and the patriotism of the people. Culture is expressed in at least four areas:
literature, drama, art and music. For example, music, whatever style —
classical, baroque, impressionistic, jazz, pop, swing, patriotic — should
inspire and uplift. By this standard, much of our contemporary music, such as
“Psychedelic,’ “Rock” and the “Beat,” reflects chaos, disorder
and
confusion, encourages the breakdown of the laws of establishment arid glorifies
the use of drugs. Art, literature and drama should always manifest the vigor,
the best of a nation — not its decadence, scum and reversionism. Much of our
present-day culture represents the psychotic soul. People in reversionism
cultivate the evil and the ugly, the degrading and the seamy side of life,
rather than that which is lofty and noble — the true purpose of the arts.
Governmental
Function
The administration of
government-must operate in compliance with the foregoing principles of
nationalism and allow the genius of its people to express itself. This is done
through two channels: one, to leave its citizens alone without governmental
interference; and two, to protect those citizens from criminal activity. While
we are born with certain inalienable rights, the government is designed to
protect, not to guarantee these rights to everyone nor indeed to anyone!
Neither can we compel the government to give us those commodities which are
already our natural rights. This was certainly not the intent of our forefathers in framing the
Constitution. The purpose of the Constitution was to prohibit the Federal
Government from tampering with our rights. It is important to understand the
distinction between the principle of inherent right and that to which we have a
right. “Rights” are merely the just or lawful claims on whatever we can
lawfully possess by our own efforts and abilities. In other words, the
government must not give us food, shelter, clothing, property, jobs, etc.; but
it must protect our freedom to lawfully acquire them. Our inherent rights to
exploit whatever opportunities come our way must not be denied or tampered
with!
Tragically, in this country, an
ever-expanding bureaucracy of mediocre people has dissipated our national
prosperity through a system of governmental agencies instituted to encroach in
every area of our society. Consequently, in the name of politics, we are
saddled with stupidity and lack of ability in places of leadership; such a
condition stifles ingenuity and incentive. In this sense, our federal
government has become an immoral hierarchy!
Freedom
to Evangelize
Freedom provides the basis for the
proper function of evangelism. Since freedom of choice is prerequisite for
response to the Gospel, national freedom becomes essential in order that Gospel
information may be disseminated without fear of punishment; and those who do
believe in Christ must not be subjected to reprisal. Every person who is
positive at the point of God-consciousness has the right to hear the
alternatives and to exercise positive or negative volition toward the Gospel.
He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36).
The laws of establishment protect
human freedom and enable evangelism to function in every generation. While the agents
of evangelism vary in each dispensation of human history, the principle of
evangelism remains unchanged that is, the Gospel will always be presented, and
those who accept its truth will be saved (Acts 16:31). Obviously, evangelism
must occur where people are — the inhabited earth; but where many people
congregate, crime and violence will be inevitable because of the angelic
conflict and the influence of evil. Without a system of authority to restrain
them, people will always cease to behave like human beings. When every man does
that which is right in his own eyes (Judg. 17:6), law and order breaks down in
society; the law of the jungle takes over, and like a pack of wild animals, the
strong tyrannize the weak. A perfect illustration are the conditions that exist
in any disaster or catastrophe situation where all authority has been
temporarily wiped out. Looters and marauders descend to plunder, rape, destroy.
Overt restraints are necessary to curb this vile activity of mankind.
Evangelism is virtually impossible
under such chaotic conditions. Only by God’s overruling will, in cases of
positive volition, can the Gospel information be made available. To bring order
out of chaos, God instituted the laws of establishment as part of Jesus
Christ’s control of history so that
mankind
would continue to exist and be evangelized, even in the devil’s world! The
divine institutions were also established by God for this same purpose. Even in
the worst period of human history — the Tribulation — volition, marriage, families
and nations will still exist. No disaster, no type of
-warfare
nor satanic strategy can eliminate the human race and individual right to
choose for God’s Plan (Matt 24:14). The only issue is whether this will be done
under an orderly system or under extremely difficult conditions of confusion
and tumult Again, this reminds us of the axiom that Jesus Christ controls
history — directly, indirectly or permissively!
Satan would neutralize or destroy
the human race if he could, and the angelic warfare would be “no contest” !But
when God created man. He also assumed responsibility for maintaining him;
therefore, the human race can never be eradicated. No nuclear weapon, no
invention devised by man
will
ever decimate the entire populated earth. Nothing or no one can set aside or
negate the Plan of God. Individuals will die — even in tremendous numbers; but
God’s Plan vouchsafes that humanity itself will survive. The fear that someone
will “push a button” and all human beings will be annihilated may make sensational
movie plots, but it makes cowards of politicians! “We mustn’t make our enemies
angry, or they will wipe us out!” is the pusillanimous cry from spineless
leaders in our national government As a result, our nation has become weak and
vacillating. Furthermore, such timidity is a contributing factor in the rush
toward internationalism, a system sponsored by Satan and never more ubiquitous
in internal and external affairs than in our time.
NATIONALISM
VERSUS INTERNATIONALISM
While nationalism provides the
maximum opportunity for freedom to operate under the laws of establishment,
internationalism, by the very nature of its system, is more vulnerable to
despotism and tyranny. Why? Because of the influence of evil and the lust
pattern of the old sin nature! Internationalism imposes fewer restraints on the
sin natures of those in power and allows greater margin for the enslavement of
people. Nationalism is God’s system for safeguarding mankind by providing a
balance of power among many nations rather than a concentration of power in the
hands of a few individuals. Under internationalism, Satan can more easily rule
his domain and enforce his policy of evil, which includes the destruction of
human freedom. While leadership often functions under the influence of evil in
one nation, nationalism acts as a deterrent to the spreading of this evil to
other countries. Nationalism isolates evil; it does not prevent it. Only
adherence to divine establishment can thwart evil!
The satanic strategy is to weaken
and deceive the nations (Isa. 14:12; Rev. 20:8) in order to wrest control of
the world from Jesus Christ, as the devil has already seized its rulership from
man (John 12:31). What better way than to oppose and destroy God’s Plan of
nationalism? Satan’s first scheme was the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9), where
he sponsored the building of a city and mammoth tower, which would be the basis
for an international religion. It became the focal point for power and a
breeding ground for concentrated evil and rejection of God. God’s indictment
against the combined efforts of man on that occasion was the dispersion of the
human race, the institution of national boundaries and the creation of many
languages.
The idea that there would be better
understanding and brotherhood among nations if all the languages in the world
were merged into one common language has been once and for all demonstrated to
be mere illusion. Man’s problem is not a multiplicity of languages or the lack
of international understanding but the ever-present influence of evil and the
fact that we all possess the old sin nature. A universal language did not guard
that civilization against satanic evil or the expression of Satan’s policy in
human good,” nor will it today. Like sheep, people are easily led astray and
taken in by the devil’s wiles. Only the believer who knows and understands
Bible doctrine can see through his clever devices (2 Cor. 2:11).
Satan has never ceased his efforts
to organize a one-world system. Should he be able to accomplish a millennium of
perfect environment, he would beat the Lord Jesus Christ to the punch and come
out victorious in the angelic conflict. Indeed, as history moves-on to its
climax, the devil’s aims of internationalism will appear to succeed. However,
with all his genius, Satan is incapable of pulling the peoples of the world
together and ruling them under internationalism, as will be demonstrated during
the final period of the Tribulation. He can never circumvent God’s Plan of
nationalism!
Contrary to what is so often
proclaimed from the pulpits today, God’s Word neither advocates nor condones
internationalism. During the angelic conflict, internationalism or one-worldism
is satanic, antichristian and anti-God. This includes the United Nations, the
World Council of Churches,
communism
and every other international system, whether political or religious.
Internationalism has no place in God’s economy. It is outlawed all the way!
Even in the Millennium, national entities will remain extant (Isa. 61:11).
Before World War II, most of the sentiment of the people in Western Europe had moved toward
internationalism. Communism was making inroads in those countries as well as in
the United States. The majority of citizens in this country are deluded by the
visionary proclamations of the communistic concept, and every day the ideals of
a welfare state become more popular. But the people of Western Europe have
become more realistic in recent years. With a growing awareness of the
importance of the national entity, there has been a gradual resurgence of
nationalism. In our reversionistic, mixed-up society, an unrealistic attitude
toward internationalism continues to prevail which, if it persists, will
ultimately lead to our doom.
Why do we cling to this
anti-biblical concept? One possible answer is that World Wars I and II were not fought in the United States. We did not witness the scene of
Russian troops massacring the flower of our military youth as they did to ten
thousand Polish officers at the Katyn Forest, nor the Wehrmacht systematically
cleaning out every city, town and village! We did not experience, like Coventry
or Rotterdam, the leveling of our cities by the Luftwaffe!
When a nation is on the skids, only
Bible doctrine or a sudden, overwhelming catastrophe will awaken its citizens.
Sometimes the awakening comes too late, as with the Carthaginians in the Third
Punic War. By the time they realized that Rome was intent on their
annihilation, they had already
accomplished
extensive disarmament, their defenses had fallen into disrepair and their fate
was sealed. In a last ditch effort, Carthage under siege held for four years,
but the Romans were victorious. The Carthaginians’ ivory-tower attitudes
rendered their defeat inevitable. The majority in this country are filled with
the same naivete, so far removed from reality, so lacking in common sense, that
unless we get back to the truths of the Word of God, our land too will be
obliterated and “strewn with salt” !There are only two ways to learn the
principles of divine establishment: the easy way — through Bible doctrine, or
the hard way — through a national crisis!
ALTERNATE
LAWS TO ESTABLISHMENT
God has a series of laws which go
into effect when a nation rejects the laws of divine establishment. These are
principles of judgment delineated in the five cycles of discipline, which
result in national disaster and finally in the destruction of the nation (Lev.
26:14-39).
Therefore, thus saith the Lord of the Armies (Jesus
Christ), Behold, I will refine them by fire, and I will test them. . . (expanded trans., Jer.
9:7).
God causes the nations that
disregard His laws to go through the fire of adversity. Whenever a majority of
the people in a nation become so influenced by evil that they depart completely
from every principle of establishment, not to mention Christianity, then God
puts that nation through the refining process (Isa. 48:10).
Many national disasters perfectly
illustrate the principle of Romans 8:28, that “all things work together for
good.” Under pressure, evil cannot sustain; thus, during a catastrophe, the
dross is burned off and the nation is purified from corruption. The people turn
back to the laws of divine establishment and are thereby protected from
annihilation. God cannot do otherwise than to purge a nation when it reaches
the point of national degeneracy and moral disintegration. Those who are
totally infected with evil are removed, but the remnant of mature believers
that survive are protected. This is consistent with God’s character and His
grace as well as the best interests of the national entity!
REVOLUTION
AND ESTABLISHMENT
Throughout the course of the angelic
conflict, Satan launches major offensives against the Gospel, Bible doctrine,
divine institutions and establishment. In order to affirm his rule over his
cosmic kingdom and to superimpose his volition over Homo sapiens, he often
resorts to the violent overthrow of duly established authority in a nation.
However, bear in mind that while Satan has usurped the rulership of the world,
he rules only by the permissive will of God; he can do no more than God allows!
Jesus Christ will always be in control of history. When events in human history
get so out of hand that the true issues in the angelic conflict are obscured or
the survival of mankind is threatened, God steps in to overrule and control.
As long as man shall live on this
earth, God protects the function of human volition. Free will must be
operational for the angelic conflict to be resolved and concluded. Were revolution
allowed to become too widespread, man’s volition would be left unprotected and
completely throttled by lawless violence and anarchy. Consequently, revolutions
may run their course only until they begin to jeopardize God’s purpose for
mankind in the resolution of the angelic conflict. Since revolution involves
the antagonism of evil against the system of authority ordained by God to
protect the human race, we must understand the true Biblical concept of evil.
Evil encompasses the entire policy
and modus operandi of Satan as the ruler of this world. Contrary to general
opinion, sin is not the primary issue in the spiritual battle. The sin problem
was settled once and for all at the Cross and is resolved initially by personal
salvation and subsequently in the Christian experience by rebound or by
discipline for failure to rebound. While some sin is included in and overlaps
evil at various points, the concept of evil is much broader in scope. Evil
involves human good, which is the application of Satan’s policy to human
experience. This satanic good includes every attempt to solve the problems of
life apart from God’s grace and Bible doctrine. It also incorporates every plan
that is antithetical to God’s Plan: religion,” socialism, communism, political
internationalism and “brotherly love,” altruism, humanitarianism, philanthropy,
public welfare, revolution, “the greatest good for the greatest number,”
governmental interference in divine establishment, coercion by legislation to
name a few! Every deviation from Bible doctrine, such as reversionism, apostasy
and legalism/ or any organized Christian program which attempts to sponsor
spiritual growth apart from the local church is evil!
Satan’s policy was latent in the
pristine Garden in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which
represented his entire system when he took over as ruler of the world. The
original man and woman partook of the forbidden tree, and at that moment,
Satan’s plan replaced God’s Plan. Under Satan’s rule, the first application of evil
thinking inhuman history was an act of human good — Operation Fig Leaves.
As the plan and policy of Satan,
evil is a reaction against both doctrine and the laws of divine establishment
and is therefore the concept behind all revolution (Psa. 64:4, 5; Prov. 17:11).
When satanically sponsored liberal panaceas are escalated into revolution, then
evil is in full bloom. By definition, revolution is a radical, sudden change in
political organization, constitution or governmental structure; the overthrow,
generally accomplished by violence, of duly constituted authority. Without
using the existing laws of election or succession, revolution overturns
established government, tears down the authority of establishment by means of
violence and replaces it with another power.
The evil motivation behind
revolution can be mental attitude sins, such as arrogance, jealousy,
vindictiveness, implacability; it can stem from the lust pattern of the old sin
nature — power or approbation lust; or it can be a sincere desire to do good.
Aristotle, the teacher of Alexander the Great, wrote in his Politics: “Inferiors revolt in order that they may be equals, and equals
revolt that they may be superior. Such is the state of mind which creates
revolution.”
Since evil runs the gamut from
religion, legalism, liberalism, reversionism and apostasy to socialism,
altruism, reformation and public welfare, it produces numerous antithetical
types of revolutionaries. A revolutionist may be a power-mad dictator or a
sweet, well-meaning clergyman; a sincere visionary and reformer or a hard-core
Bolshevik; a deprived, exploited, downtrodden derelict of society or an
ambitious, wealthy member of the aristocracy. He might even be a reversionistic
Christian attempting to improve the devil’s world. Regardless of the particular
brand of evil the
revolutionist
advocates, he is an opponent of human freedom.
While revolution is often condoned
on the basis of promoting a great and noble cause, the Word of God never justifies revolution! To the contrary, God
demonstrated His attitude toward revolution in Numbers 16. When Korah, Dathan
and Abiram revolted against Moses’ authority (cf. Jude 11), God destroyed them
in an earthquake, and their followers were consumed by a plague. Even though
the revolutionary cause is frequently led by sincere but naive do-gooders,
revolution is always anti-God, antiestablishment and can be traced to that
trend of evil which begins with some form of reversionism or apostasy.
Return
to God from whom you have revolted and defected, 0 sons of Israel (expanded
trans., Isa. 31:6).
Whether in the believer or the
unbeliever, reversionism always seeks human solutions to the problems of life.
These solutions may or may not be related to the sins of the old sin nature,
but they invariably advocate the overthrow of establishment-type authority and
establishment values.
Listen, 0 heavens, and hear, 0 earth (angelic conflict),
for Jehovah speaks: sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted
against Me. The ox is stupid, but he knows his owner; the jackass is also
hardheaded, but he knows his master’s manger. But Israel does not know Me; My
people do not understand doctrine. Alas, evil nation, people weighed down with
evil, a seed of evil workers, sons who act corruptly! They have despised the
Holy One of Israel; they have turned away backward. Where will you be struck
again, as you continue in revolution? The whole head is sick; the whole heart
is faint
(expanded trans., Isa. 1:2-5).
When revolutionary ideology is
allowed to undermine establishment issues, national psychosis sets in.
The revolutionist has no regard for
the concept of duly constituted authority. He cannot separate the principle of
authority from the individual or individuals who exercise or possibly abuse that
authority. Consequently, he reacts by destroying both the leadership and the
authority that leadership represents. Irrespective of whether you agree or
disagree with the person in authority, and irrespective of how corrupt he may
be, recognition of the divine order and the correction of abuses within the
framework of that recognized order are the only means of ultimately righting an
injustice. This applies not just to governmental function but to business,
marriage, the military, the church and many other areas of life. Church
revolutions occur when the congregation rejects the pastor’s authority and
attempts to usurp his God-given prerogative (Heb. 13:7,17).
Neither the French Revolution of
1789 nor the Russian Revolution of 1917 was justified. They were in utter
opposition to God’s order (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13, 14). In both cases, the
revolution was evil, and the one authority as well as the authority itself were
destroyed. Whatever evil may have existed under the Bourbon and Romanov
dynasties, it was only replaced by a worse evil. These two classic revolutions
were the result of overthrow of establishment authority by mob violence. The
anatomy of revolution is always the same. Although it may take many years
before the final eruption occurs, liberalism breeds revolt in the minds of the
people and prepares the ground in which the seeds of revolution can be planted.
Evil thinking infiltrates every facet of life — economic, educational,
political, spiritual — and conditions the people for the overthrow of
authority. Once the machinery of revolution is set into motion, the radicals
grow bold and, with the moral decline of the people, begin to act like a mob.
Violence becomes the order of the day, as described by Edmund Burke, the great
British statesman, in Reflections on the
French Revolution: “In the groves of their academy [the French Revolution], at the end of every vista, you see nothing
but the gallows,'''' Invariably, the liberals, who in confused idealism and
stupidity opened the floodgates to such catastrophes, are swept away with the
innocent. All vestiges of the former governmental structure are destroyed.
Chaos ensues; and authority, freedom, privacy and property are wiped out!
The question is often asked, “What
about the American Revolution of 1775? Was it a revolution comparable to the
French or Communist Revolutions?” It was not! “Revolutionary War” is a
misnomer. The term “revolution,” in its true Biblical connotation, is always
evil. Any change brought about through establishment principles, cannot
technically be classed as a revolution. Initially, there was a struggle on the
part of the colonists to gain representation in the English government Denied
this representation, the effort grew into a “War for Independence” and became a
fight to retain freedom under the proper function of establishment rather than
an overthrow of government.
British
subjects in America . . . were then [7763] the freest people in the world, and
in many respects more free than anyone today. They argued and then fought, not
to obtain freedom but to confirm the freedom they already had or claimed. They
were even more advanced in the practice of self-government than the mother
country.
In England, legislative power was
vested in the lower House of Parliament. The thirteen colonies were being taxed
without being represented in the House of Commons. Taxation is bona fide as a
part of Divine Institution Number Four; but taxation without representation is
a violation of the principles of both Divine Institutions One and Four! This
fact made the war a battle against tyranny rather than a revolt against
authority and resulted in the emergence of a strong and vigorous
proestablishment nation.
Edmund Burke understood perfectly that
the American conflict with England was not a revolution but a justified demand
for representation. Just as he vigorously opposed and condemned the French
Revolution, so he continued to support the cause of the colonists, and he
stated this principle before the House of Commons in 1775 in his brilliant
speech, “Conciliation with America.”
The Bible discloses that the source
of revolution is the heart or right lobe” of the soul, which results from the
infiltration of satanic doctrines.
Transgression
and denying the LORD and turning away from our
God, speaking oppression and revolution, conceiving in and uttering from the
heart (right lobe) lying words (expanded trans., Isa. 59:13).
But this people have a calloused and revolutionary heart;
they have turned aside from doctrine, and departed from establishment (expanded trans., Jer.
5:23).
Revolution, which is the result of a
breakdown of respect for the laws of establishment, sweeps toward disaster a
collection of reversionists who are under the influence of evil. Every concept
of law and order and authority is obliterated in their right lobes prior to or
during their participation in revolution. Apostasy and reversionism neutralize
the true function of the frame of reference and its memory center; they
eradicate the norms and standards in the conscience of the soul so that the
laws set up by God are no longer a part of the vocabulary and categories of the
right lobe, nor are they retained on the “launching pad” for application to
experience (Heb. 3:15).
The lawless mobs spawned by
revolution can neither think nor listen to reason. Revolutionists seek to
overturn the establishment in a grab for power, yet they totally lack a sense
of responsibility. Irrational and emotional, mob action is the epitome of
stupidity. While there may be individuals in the mob who have a genius IQ, in the mob, mentality is inevitably swept away by the lowest common
denominator blind emotion! Intimidation of delegated authority by mob violence
destroys the safeguards of freedom and results in anarchy, which can then be
exploited by evil men. Individual liberty is always wiped out in revolution!
The lawless seek to gain power
through violence. The only way to halt antiestablishment violence is by meeting
it with a greater violence. In other words, unjust violence must be suppressed
by the strong arm of the law! Unlike the wanton destructiveness of the mob, the
legitimate application of force under establishment is controlled and orderly.
Those in authority who have honor, righteousness and integrity can utilize
superior might without corrupting the power involved. The nation’s internal use
of legitimate violence is embodied in the law and is expressed to the maximum
by capital punishment in order to curb the malignant violence of crime.
Externally, military action is the force of righteousness which purchases
national freedom and crushes the evil fury of the aggressor!
In general, there are several types
of revolution: first, political, such as the French and Russian Revolutions,
which embodies the overthrow of existing government; second, legalistic,
exemplified by the Pharisees in the time of Christ. Their distortion of the
Scriptures led to blatant opposition to the Person of Christ and to their
subsequent self-destruction. The Judaizers, too, were in legalistic revolt
against doctrine; consequently, they resented the teaching of Paul. A third
type of revolution, economic, is the overthrow of free enterprise in business.
Governmental regulation and ownership of private industry has created a crisis
that has bankrupted England, has spread to Australia and is on the verge of
destroying our own country’s prosperity. A fourth, social, occurs when there is
reaction against the accepted norms and standards of an established culture. This
results in a radical, kaleidoscopic change in life-styles, fashions and
education.
Social revolution is evident
everywhere in the United States: the ugly American has emerged in the guise of
poorly groomed, long-haired men; people are antagonistic toward the military;
patriotism has diminished; law enforcement faces constant opposition; and
capital punishment, which has only recently been reinstated, is an object of
negative public opinion. Crime is on the increase; immorality is prevalent; and
the illicit traffic and use of narcotics continue to thrive. This revolt
against traditional concepts in society is the result of mental revolution
against God (Rom. 1:19-26). Those who are involved in this type of rebellion
are not only vociferously antiestablishment, but they have defied the very laws
that have given them the freedom to be defiant! They demand privilege without
responsibility! By rejecting the discipline and order of establishment, they
have chosen the path of self-destruction, chaos and national disaster. Not only
will they suffer personally from the consequences of human degeneracy and
anarchy (Rom. 1:27-32) but so will others in their periphery!
Freedom is like mercury: when you
squeeze it, you lose it. Revolution puts the squeeze on freedom. While our
Constitution protects our personal liberty, many people understand it only in
the sense of being free to steal, to rape, to kill or to do as they please,
irrespective of anyone else’s rights. In so doing, they not only violate the
rights of others, but they forfeit their own right to remain at liberty.
Nothing durable or worthwhile is ever achieved through revolution. Even in
governments where gross inequity and injustice exist, revolution can never
rectify the situation. The end does not justify the means. One evil is only
replaced by a greater evil. The Anglo-Saxon heritage of the United States
demands the avoidance of evil force and violence as a means to solving
problems. The only permanent solution for national as well as individual wrongs
is found in positive volition toward the Gospel and Bible doctrine (Ezek.
2:3-10) and in adherence to the laws of establishment.
AUTHORITY
IN ESTABLISHMENT
Authority is essential for every
function in life. Freedom ceases to exist where authority is not exercised and
respected. Hence, as a safeguard for freedom, authority is not only an integral
part but the very basis of divine establishment. By definition, authority is
the legal power delegated by God under the laws of divine establishment,
whereby certain members of the human race have jurisdiction over and
responsibility for other members of the human race. Authority is absolutely
necessary in any association of two or more people, either in settling disputes
or in determining policy. Someone must be responsible for making the final
decisions; someone’s judgment must prevail. Thus, authority is a critical
factor in creating a stabilized atmosphere of peace, justice and liberty.
The
authority of the policeman on the corner and the judge on the bench is ordained
by God to protect the freedom of a nation by due process of law: apprehension,
adjudication and punishment of those guilty of crime. The watchword of
establishment is “Live and let live”; but the criminal who has violated the
rights, privacy and property of others, must be incarcerated or executed.
Without restraint on crime, chaos rules, and freedom is destroyed from within.
Even the individual’s capacity for
life is based on self-imposed authority over his own soul. Unless he can set up
and enforce priorities in his life, he will never mature or develop the
capacities that accrue only to those who possess self-discipline. Most of the
problems in life are the result of either lack of self-discipline or rejection
of authority.
Long before the creation of mankind,
Lucifer, the most magnificent and powerful of all the angels, revolted against
God, the only Authority higher than his own (Isa. 14:12-16). The arrogance of
this super-angel led to his rejection of divine authority. He thus perpetrated
his own fall and initiated the angelic conflict. .Authority again became an
issue when mankind was created as an extension of the angelic conflict
In the Garden, the woman lived under
two principles of authority — her right man, Adam, and her Bible Teacher, the
Lord Jesus Christ. She failed on both counts! Her lack of concentration in
Bible class resulted in rejection of spiritual authority; thus, ignorant of
doctrine, she was easily deceived into committing the first sin in human
history (1 Tim. 2:11-15). The woman also rejected the temporal authority held
by Adam, who was both her right man and the ruler of the world. Adam failed as
well. When he accepted the forbidden fruit, he threw away his own authority and
bowed to the dictates of his wife! The result was the Fall of man, the takeover
of the world by Satan and the entrance of evil into the human race.
Those who do not respect authority
are basically arrogant In fact, the criterion for arrogance, whether in angels
or in men, is the lack of response to authority. Arrogance is a heinous sin,
the result of evil thinking. When arrogance is put under pressure, its
counterparts rise to the surface. These may be jealousy, cowardice or some
other sin that had always lurked behind the facade of pride. Under the influence
of evil, national arrogance in the United States has reached unprecedented
proportions, as demonstrated by its citizens’ almost total rejection of
divinely constituted authority. The police officer is despised, judges are no
longer respected, the uniforms of our armed services are ridiculed. Criminals
go unpunished, while labor unions are permitted to practice extortion against
the owners of industry. Students riot on college campuses and demand rights
totally incompatible with the academic processes. Pastors are turned into
“beanbags,” husbands are not reverenced, and children do not respect the
authority of their parents. Because our very national existence depends on the
reversal of this trend, we have reached a stage in which the only solution is the
inculcation of Bible doctrine!
SPIRITUAL
AUTHORITY
The
Authority of God
The ultimate authority, of course,
is God. His authority is expressed today through Bible doctrine — not through
dreams, visions, trances or miraculous spiritual gifts. His will and His Plan
are clearly defined in Scripture. Respect for God’s sovereignty is learned in
one of two ways: directly, through divine discipline (Heb. 12:9); or
indirectly, through the pastor-teacher’s communication of doctrine, which
results in blessing. Suffering and divine discipline are inevitable to the
individual, as well as to the nation which resists God’s authority and the
principles of establishment. Authority is one of the most underrated concepts
in theology. Every principle of Bible doctrine is related to authority;
furthermore, all other authorities in life stem from God’s Word.
Apostolic
Authority
The unique authority of Jesus Christ
is, of course, supreme; but the apostles held the highest spiritual authority ever
given to human beings (2 Cor. 10:8). Paul, as the top-ranking apostle,
possessed the greatest authority and rulership ever bestowed by God in the
Church. When he began an epistle by announcing, “Paul, an apostle of the Lord
Jesus Christ,” he was stating his rank. He was saying in effect, “Clear the
decks for action — the admiral has arrived!” And that is exactly what apostle
means — “Admiral of the Fleet.” However, the spiritual gift of apostleship was
extant only during the formation of the New Testament Canon. In the precanon
period of the Church Age (A.D. 30-96), it was necessary for someone to possess,
the authority of absolute dictatorship in order to establish churches, to train
pastors, to regulate doctrine, to formulate policy and to keep the churches
doctrinally straight, as well as to write Scripture.
The entire New Testament was written
under apostolic authority, whether by the apostles themselves or their close
associates. For example, Peter dictated the Gospel to Mark, while Luke, Paul’s
co-worker, wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. In A.D. 96, with the
death of the Apostle John, the gift of apostleship was permanently removed.
There is no basis for the claims of Romanism, which insists on the perpetuation
of apostolic authority. The function of apostleship is now replaced by the
authority of the written Word of God, and the “regimental colors’ have been
passed to a new commander the pastor-teacher (2 Tim. 4:1)!
Authority
in the Local Church
The Word of God authorized the autonomous
local church as the only place where Church Age believers can grow in the
knowledge of Bible doctrine to the point of spiritual maturity. After the
apostles departed, there was no longer authorization for more than one local
congregation. Denominations, church councils and independent organizations
outside the local church are definitely not Biblically sanctioned and can never
cause their members to grow spiritually. Within each local assembly, the
authority is vested in one pastor-teacher. He delegates authority to deacons
and others in his administrative system, but they have no jurisdiction over the
congregation (Acts 6:1-7).
Fundamentalism is divided into many
camps with regard to authority in the local church. Some groups do not believe
in a pastor at all, and some think there should be a plurality of elders
(multiplicity of pastors). Others believe that authority should be vested in
one or two boards or in some form of hierarchy. But the Bible teaches that the
final, human authority in the local church is the pastor.
Be concentrating on them (right pastor-teachers), who
themselves are ruling over (guiding by teaching) you all, pastors who have
communicated to you the Word of God (Bible doctrine), whose doctrine be
emulating. Be carefully considering the issue of their way of life (super-grace
status)
(expanded trans., Heb. 13:7).
Who has the rule over you? The
deacons? No! The Scripture plainly states that those “who have communicated to
you the Word of God” are the only ones who have authority over you. The only
one who falls into that category is the pastor-teacher, and he establishes his
authority by faithful Bible teaching. But, you say, “This verse just says to
concentrate on them.” Stand by for a shock! The principle is amplified in verse
17.
Keep obeying those pastors who themselves are ruling over
you and submit to their authority; for these same ones (pastors) keep watching
for the benefit of your souls as those having to render an account. Keep
obeying in order that they may do this accounting with joy (inner happiness)
and not groaning. For this accounting with groaning would be unprofitable to
you
(expanded trans., Heb. 13:17).
You are commanded to obey and to
submit to the authority of your pastor-teacher. Since every believer is a Royal
Priest, it is important to understand the structure of authority instituted by
God for the growth and progress of each member of the Royal Family of God.
First is overt authority, which includes the Word of God, the communicator of
the Word (pastor-teacher) and the administrative function of deacons. Second,
the inner authority is the exercise of the believer’s volition, as he assembles
for Bible teaching and maintains objectivity, even under the fire of rebuke by
the Word. The injunction of verse 17 brings together these two basic
categories.
A sign of human maturity is the
ability to recognize bona fide authority and to respond objectively. Only
through affirmative response to Bible teaching, coupled with the filling of the
Spirit, can believers grow in grace and advance to spiritual maturity. The
responsibility for the transfer of doctrine from the Canon of Scripture to the
individual soul belongs to the pastor. But apart from strict academic
discipline in the classroom of the local church, the pastor cannot effectively
communicate Bible doctrine with its variety of subjects. The key to learning
doctrine is amenability to discipline from properly sanctioned authority. When
conflicting personalities, preconceived doctrines and viewpoints interfere with
the believer’s objectivity, self-discipline becomes the cohesive factor.
The phrase, “for these same ones
keep watching (must be alert) for the benefit of your souls,” presents a
further reason why a pastor must have authority in his congregation. The word
“pastor’ means “shepherd.” He is the shepherd of his flock and is directly
accountable to Christ, the Chief Shepherd (Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 5:4). The pastor
must be alert to shield his sheep from bullying by others in the flock and to
protect their privacy and rights by removing those believers who are unruly,
who gossip, malign and intrude into the affairs of others in the Royal Family.
His authority, therefore, assures the privacy of believers and makes it
possible for them to learn doctrine in the public assembly. He must also be on
guard to eliminate false doctrine, or true doctrine will eject him from the
“cockpit of that local church (2 Tim. 1:13).
Because bona fide problems can and
do exist in the local church — not only because of ordinary pressures, but also
as a corollary of the angelic conflict — there must be a final authority, and
it must be based upon the Word of God. The principle of authority must not be
confused with tyranny; the pastor has no license to be a bully. He should be
the epitome of self-discipline, have an understanding of administration and the
delegation of authority and possess enough leadership ability not to abuse the
tremendous power invested in him by God through the gift of pastor-teacher. He
must furthermore have the moral courage to make decisions concordant with Bible
doctrine.
The pastor’s authority, which
extends only within the limits of his local church, is designed to give him the
right to administer his policies and to communicate Bible doctrine. If he does
not exercise this prerogative, he will find himself in the untenable position
of being a doormat; he easily succumbs to the dictates of the congregation, and
anarchy and confusion reign!
TEMPORAL
AUTHORITY
Authority
in the Divine Institutions
Divine Institution Number One —
Volition. As the authority within each individual, free will is the basis
for freedom and is therefore the very center of divine establishment The proper
regulation of volition in the soul demands self-discipline. Self-discipline is
the consistent self-determination and concentration on an objective and
avoidance of any distractions that obstruct the accomplishment of that
objective. All truly great people in life are self-disciplined. Self-discipline
is the foundation of integrity, honor and nobility as well as all the
attributes of character that enable a person to enjoy life to the fullest.
General John Brown Gordon described
the importance of the authority of Divine Institution Number One throughout all
the laws of divine establishment. He tells the story of the Confederate troops
facing the almost invincible Union position on top of Malvern Hill. Yankee
artillery was mercilessly pounding the Southern lines, tearing great gaps
through the ranks. It was a terrifying situation! As the shells struck, their
victims were literally blown apart! Hands, arms, pieces of flesh would fly
through the air and land among the soldiers. There was noise, dust and death
all around! In the midst of this carnage, a panic-stricken rabbit suddenly
jumped out of its hiding place and sprinted furiously toward the rear, away
from the gunfire. A mountaineer in the Confederate ranks noted the rabbits
speed and direction of flight and, raising his voice so that it could be heard
above the din of the battle, he shouted, “Go to it, Molly Cottontail! I’d be
going with you if it wasn’t for my character!”
General Gordon continued:
In
this connection, I am reminded of the commonplace but important truth that the
aggregate character of a people of any country depends upon the personal
character of its individual citizens; and that the stability of the popular
government depends far more upon the character, the individual, personal
character of its people, than it does upon any Constitution that could be
adopted or statutes that could be enacted. What would safeguards be worth if
the character of the people did not sustain and enforce them? The Constitution
would be broken, the laws defied; riot and anarchy would destroy both, and with
them the government itself. I am not assuming or suggesting that this country
is in any present danger of such an experience; but of all the countries on
earth this one, with its universal suffrage, its divergent and conflicting
interests, its immense expanse of territory, and its large population, made up
from every class and clime, and still to be increased in the coming years, is
far more dependent than any other upon the character of its peopled
A person who lacks self-discipline
lacks capacity for life and cannot fully enjoy any activity, no matter how
pleasant. In fact, an undisciplined person cannot even properly use his own
freedom because the exercise of freedom is itself a function of
self-discipline. The greatest example of self-discipline in all of human
history is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Although
being a Son, He (Christ) entered into learning obedience to authority from the
things which He had suffered (expanded trans., Heb. 5:8).
While the term “Son” seems to imply
some measure of inferiority, Jesus Christ has never been less than coequal and
coeternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit God the Father is neither greater
nor stronger, nor is He more wise than the Second Person of the Trinity.
Christ’s title as a Son expresses Lordship and establishment and carries
fantastic implications for mankind. As an integral part of the Father’s Plan in
the Divine Decrees,” Jesus Christ set the pattern for happiness and orientation
to life through obedience to authority.
Christ had great capacity to enjoy
life and freedom, yet His entire life during the Incarnation was one of
self-discipline and obedience to the Plan of the Father. This same principle is
illustrated in a limited way by those in military service. A nation cannot
survive as a free people unless the relatively small number of men who enter
the service learn obedience under pressure. They voluntarily relinquish their
freedom and submit to strict discipline and authority in order to function as a
team and to eventually become an effective fighting force. Just as they are
willing to endure great hardships, either in training or in combat, so Jesus
Christ, with perfect happiness and strict adherence to the Father’s will, lived
most of His thirty-three years in “beast barracks,” climaxed by His
excruciating spiritual death — His sacrifice on the Cross!
The development of self-discipline
began in Jesus’ childhood through learning doctrine, undergoing testing and in
His relationships with other people. Every temptation to sin was an issue of self-discipline,
for His objective was to reach the Cross in sinless perfection. Had He
succumbed to sin in even one temptation, He would have acquired an old sin
nature and become a sinner in the same way that Adam became a sinner. But He
accomplished His goal by completely avoiding any
kind
of sin. He fulfilled His function in the First Advent by yielding to the will
of God the Father, even though He was well aware of the terrible price He would
have to pay.
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from
me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:42).
Had He not learned absolute
submission to authority, there would have been no salvation. If He had not been
the most disciplined Person who ever lived, He could not have gone to the Cross
and offered Himself for our sins. Contrary to every impulse, every desire,
every inclination of His soul, He “set [His] face like a Hint” (Isa. 50:7),
“Humbled himself, and [of His own volition] became obedient unto death, even
the [spiritual] death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).
And
having completed His disciplinary training, He became to all the ones obeying
Him the Source of eternal salvation (expanded trans., Heb. 5:9).
Obedience to the Cross on the part
of Christ was the offering of Himself as the High Priest; our obedience is to
believe in Him as Savior. Both the High Priest and those who enter the Royal
Priesthood have a peculiar obedience. Christ’s obedience was the submission of
His total ability emanating from the hypostatic union; ours is submission of
total inability. To obey the Father’s Plan of the Cross took all Christ had in
both His deity and in His humanity. But when God commands
obedience
to the Cross from us, it actually involves doing nothing. The “doing” has all
been done (1 Pet 2:24). The obedience of Christ was meritorious; the obedience
of faith on our part is non- meritorious. Obedience specifies the principle
while faith indicates the mechanics. The Cross always forces the issue of
acquiescence to its power.
Since freedom is possible only
through subjection to authority, obedience to the Cross is the foundation of
our priesthood which assures us liberty (Gal. 5:1). By means of continued
discipline under the function of GAP, God brings the believer to
maturity, where He can pour out maximum blessing (Eph. 3:20).
Respect for the authority of your
own soul demands that you take the responsibility for your own decisions, good
or bad. For example, every believer continues to possess an old sin nature as
long as he lives (1 John 1:8). Depending on his level of spiritual maturity and
other factors, he will commit various kinds of sins with varying frequency; but
whatever his sins may be, he commits them from his own free will (Jas.
1:13-15). Even if he does not realize that a certain activity is a sin, he
still did it because he wanted to do it! Volition is always involved in any sin
that is committed, and ignorance is never an excuse! The rebound technique
recognizes that there has been a transgression of God’s law and that the work
of Christ on the Cross has already paid the penalty (1 John 1:7,9). If a
believer fails to take the responsibility for his own decisions and does not
use rebound as required, God steps in with retributive justice (1 Cor.
11:30,31).
In the same way, failure to regulate
your own life under the principle of the daily intake of the Word of God is
countered by punitive action. If you do not exercise self-discipline, God will
impose His own discipline over you! Divine chastening is designed to teach the
self-discipline essential for advance to spiritual maturity.
Divine Institution Number Two —
Marriage. Even in the most sublime relationships in life, there must be
authority. In marriage, the man is the head over the wife (Eph. 5:23). Taken from
the side of the man, the very origin of the woman places her in a position of
subordination to him. She will always be a part of the man; and even though she
may reject his lordship, her entire physiology, as well as the formation of her
soul, forces her to be in subjection, whether she likes it or not! When Jesus
Christ formed the woman from Adam’s rib and led her to the man, He delegated
man’s authority over her.
And the rib, which the LORD God had taken
from the man, made {built] he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam
said . . . she shall be called Woman [ISHAH] because she was taken out of Man
[ISH](Gen.
2:22, 23).
Adam is also called ISH (Hebrew word for category Homo sapiens). Simply add a feminine suffix,
and you have the woman’s name ISHAH, to indicate that she
belonged to him. The Hebrew name ADAM (man) signified that he
ruled the woman as well as the human race. Then, in anticipation of life
outside the Garden, Adam became a prophet: “Therefore shall ISH leave [Hebrew verb AZAB] his father and his mother .
. .” (Gen. 2:24). AZAB means that when the
children marry, they must leave the jurisdiction of the parents and establish
themselves as a separate entity. When a man and a woman unite, they are no
longer to be dependent on their parents; the man must assume the responsibility
for the woman soulishly, physically, mentally and spiritually. Under Divine
Institution Number Two, the parents relinquish their authority over their
children; and from here on, the children must be allowed to make their own
decisions, right or wrong. The relationship between parents and offspring
shifts to rapport between adults.
The women, keep voluntarily submitting (yielding)
yourselves in love to the noble man (your right man) (expanded trans.. Col. 3:18).
“Submit” is a present middle
imperative of a military verb, HUPOTASSO, meaning “to be a private in
the ranks under the authority of a commanding officer.” It carries the
connotation of subordination, which is the role of the woman in marriage. She submits
in the sense of voluntarily yielding her freedom in love. But should that love
not exist, it still means to submit to the authority of the divine institution.
Regardless of whether the marriage is good or bad, the principle of delegated
power in the marital relationship remains intact: the husband is the ruler; the
wife is subordinate (1 Pet. 3:1)!
This is a solemn fact, which should
motivate every woman to think twice before she agrees to be married. She should
ask herself: “Do I want to submit to the authority of this man for the rest of
my life?’ As soon as she answers affirmatively to one man, she surrenders her
volition to his control. Of her own free will, she selects that man to be her
company commander!
When a man walks away from the
wedding ceremony with His bride on his arm, he is in charge of someone, perhaps
for the first time. Any man who takes a wife to himself assumes a tremendous
obligation, for with authority comes responsibility! For the rest of his life,
he must protect the soul of the woman entrusted to him — not just her body —
and make sure her soul
thrives
in love and freedom. A marriage in which the man does not guard the soul of his
wife will never be a happy one. There is much more to marriage than sex! The
woman, in fact, lacks even the capacity for good sex without the proper
obedience to the authority of the man. A woman, even more than a man, must
understand and appreciate authority, for from it stems her entire capacity for
life.
. . . and the head of the woman is the man .… Every man
(male believer) praying or preaching, having something down over his head,
dishonors his head (authority) (expanded trans., 1 Cor. 11:3, 4).
What does a man have that would come
down over his head when praying or preaching — a hat? Not at all — long hair,
as explicitly declared in verse 14. The issue in 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 is not
hats but authority, and the sign set up by God is the relative lengths of hair
on the-man and the woman. The shorter hair of the-man designates his rulership.
This passage teaches that long hair characterizes a male who does not
understand authority or who, under the influence of evil, rejects authority. As
the head over his right woman, the man has dishonored the God-given structure
of authority over her by wearing her badge of submission to him!
For
indeed, a man ought not to veil the head (grow long hair — verse 14), existing
as the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man (expanded
trans., 1 Cor. 11:7).
This verse places the man and the woman
in their proper places under the concept of authority. As the glory of God, man
has short hair; as the glory of man, the woman has longer hair, which signifies
her submission. The woman should wear on her head the sign of subjection to
man’s authority not a hat or veil — but longer hair (1 Cor. 11:15). Extreme
shortness of the woman’s hair is indicative of some soul kink, usually a lack
of respect for authority. No matter how compatible a couple may be in all other
areas, if she continually resists the authority of the man, she will ultimately
come to despise him. This is one of the main reasons why marriages fall apart
or exist merely as an armed truce, waiting for the outbreak of hostilities.
The backbone of love is respect
Manliness is a condition of soul by which a man gains the esteem of his right
woman. If the man fails to assert his proper authority, the woman will usurp
it; yet a woman never really admires a man she can control. She will not only
dislike him, but she will also hate herself and will react like a grenade with
the pin out! Designed to be under authority, a woman cannot be happy outside
that sphere. In fact, the divine discipline connected with Divine Institution
Number Two is misery and unhappiness from failure to comply with the divine
order. Furthermore, a society controlled by women breeds weak men and mediocre
leadership in all areas of life.
An immense appreciation for
responsibility is necessary in order to handle authority well. The man who has
always bucked authority in life cannot exercise authority himself because he
has never developed self-control. He consequently has no capacity to love. One
of the first qualifications for being a good lover is self-discipline. If a man
misuses his prerogative
by
lack of self-discipline, he becomes a tyrant Authority linked with arrogance
turns him into a monster! When he throws his weight around and abuses a woman,
he destroys the very thing he wants. But when he provides strength and
stability, tenderness and concern to which she can respond and she willingly
gives him her soul and body, then he possesses something truly fantastic!
Divine Institution Number Three —
Family. Parents (or parent, as the case may be) are the authority in the
family (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20). Parents existed before children, and for good
reason! Parental authority is the basis for stability in society from one
generation to the next and provides the first source of discipline in life.
Once a child learns to obey his parents and comes to understand the principle of
authority from them, he is then prepared to respect other authorities in life.
A boy first learns the concept of
authority under the tutelage of his mother. His consideration for her gives him
the correct perspective so that when he grows up, he will exercise his
authority without abuse. As a man, he will fulfill his right woman without
violating his God-given prerogative. A child who does not respect his mother is
disoriented not only to authority but to life in general. It is incumbent upon
the father, as the head of the home, to also train the young man to love and
honor his mother, and never to allow him to sass her. These virtues are not
instinctive nor inherent; they must be inculcated. Had men been taught to treat
women properly, there would be no cause for such perversions as women’s
liberation movements!
Parental authority is designed to
overcome the temper tantrums, the mental sins and the disobedience of children.
When authority is exercised, it will not always be pleasant for the recipient;
in fact, it will sometimes be very painful and even resented. But the ability
to accept discipline under all conditions is the beginning of success in life
(Heb. 12:11). No person ever becomes truly-great without first having been
subservient to the dictates of another. This principle applies to both
believers and unbelievers, for remember, the laws of establishment are for the
entire human race. To revolt against authority always sets one back and
destroys the potentiality for greatness. Consequently, it is imperative that
the issues of authority, freedom, respect for privacy, property and the rights
of others, regard for law and order and the principle of patriotism be taught
in every home. Parents must also guide the child into developing a capacity for
life. They must encourage his curiosity and captivate his naturally vivid
imagination with the concepts of honor, integrity, romance and adventure. The
parents’ responsibility in teaching is critically important in view of the
almost total degeneracy of our public school system!
Christian parents have the added
responsibility of evangelizing their children and beginning doctrinal
instruction (Dent 6:6-9; 7:9). They must also impart due respect for the
content of doctrine as communicated by the pastor-teacher and the proper
recognition of his rulership.
We should note at least one passage
delineating the doctrine of parental authority.
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is
well pleasing {commendable] unto the Lord (Col. 3:20).
“Children’ (TEKNON in the Greek) does not connote age but, rather, a
child in training. Many young people become rebellious in their teens toward
the authority of their parents. While this stems partly from the normal
physiological development which is preparing the child for eventual
independence, neither the parents nor the children must sidestep the exercise
of authority. As long as a child is living under his parents’ roof, he is
subject to them.
Parents themselves often violate and
undermine authority by gossiping or maligning in the presence of their
children. To belittle anyone in authority — the pastor-teacher, the school
teacher, the coach or the administrator — is to destroy his influence. When a
police officer one day brings little Johnny to the door — caught red-handed —
the parents too frequently counter with, “My little Johnny would never do
anything like that!” Yet he would, for his parents were remiss in teaching him
respect for authority!
The word “obey” is the present
active imperative of the compound verb HUPAKOUO, “to listen under the
authority of,” and commands both respect for authority and concentration. The
dative plural of indirect object of GONEUS (parents) indicates that
obedience is in the interest of the children, whether or not they think it is unfair, overly severe
or “old fogey.” Parents should be fair, but justice or injustice is not an
issue to be decided by the children. The child derives his greatest benefit
from learning to respect authority. He does not profit from disobedience or revolt.
The Lord will ride herd on the parents who are unfair.
The most maladjusted monsters in our
society today are the youngsters whose parents shirked the responsibility of
disciplinary training because they fell for the progressive, liberal method of rearing
their children. Deluded into thinking that discipline would destroy their
children’s personalities, that their love must be won or they will not respond,
the parents failed to understand that children: have no capacity to love. The
parents’ love is expressed during the child’s minority by demanding obedience
and following up with punishment for failure to comply with their commands
(Heb. 12:7-9). Discipline develops respect for authority. If parents do not
make an issue out of obedience from their children, they cannot train them! The
army recognizes this axiom-by teaching recruits to obey before they learn
anything else!
It is therefore to the advantage of
every child to be under authority during his minority. In fact, there is no
happiness in life apart from self-discipline and recognition of authority.
Young people who have flaunted, resented or worked around their parents’ rule
during adolescence by being sneaky and dishonest, abnegate all other authority
in life and are unhappy children. In turn, they become miserable adults with
hang-ups and frustrations and are completely divorced from reality.
Parents have a tremendous
responsibility, and the larger portion falls upon the man as the final
authority. Once there are children in the home, the husband is promoted from
“captain’ to “colonel.” He now has an “army” under him, and his obligations
increase with his authority. Just as it is the duty of a good officer to
control and to direct his men, so the man’s job in the family is to protect and
to see that those under him are motivated to keep the home running smoothly. He
is accountable for disciplining the children and handling the courts-martial as
well as hustling up a living. Some of you young men had better think twice
before you are married. If you want to start an army and a small war — then hop
to it!
One of the worst mistakes parents
can make is to use their children as the basis for either their happiness or
their unhappiness. This principle must be separated from their natural love and
ambition for their children. After proper discipline and training, each child
must ultimately be allowed to exercise his free will and go his own direction
in life; but whether or not this lines up with the parents’ desires cannot be
allowed to destroy their happiness. As with all believers, parents must derive
their basic happiness from their own inner resources of Bible doctrine, then
from each other and their contemporaries. The mother who puts her children
above her husband is one hundred percent out of line! The same is true of the
father who gives more attention to his son or daughter than to his wife. When a
child is given priority in the home and everything revolves around a
thoughtless, immature little person, leadership is destroyed and parents are reduced
to slavery!
Parents who have properly fulfilled
their function can ease up on their authority and allow free will to operate
when the youngsters are in their teens. By the time they are around eighteen,
they should begin to think for themselves and to make most of their own
decisions. If parents still find it necessary to spank a child of fourteen or
fifteen, they have done a sloppy job between zero and thirteen! When the
authority in the home breaks down and the teenagers usurp control, the parents
have been derelict in their duty. Not only the parents but the children
themselves will suffer. Furthermore, lack of parental discipline is felt in the
school, the church and every area of life!
Divine Institution Number Four —
Nationalism. Authority in the national entity resides in local, state and
national government. Since everyone has the right to pursue a course of action
within the confines of the law, government must assure freedom and privacy to
its entire constituency. This is the only kind of “quality” that a government
can ever provide. Among the several forms of government, leadership is more
clearly defined in a monarchy. In a representative type of government, our
national administration is vested in three branches — executive, legislative and
judicial. Leadership does not exclude an individual from the law.
The preponderance of power in our
nation should rest with the government of each state. “States rights” is a key
to the bona fide use of authority in government under our Constitution. Yet
today, because of the inordinate lust for power, the principle of states rights
is being circumvented by an almost unlimited federal government’s use of the
taxpayer’s money as a means of gaining political sway. Those who possess
maximum authority are inevitably faced with the temptation to misuse their
power and are always in danger of being overcome by power lust. To seize
control without legitimate right, whether by evil violence of revolution or by
more insidious machinations, can result only in tyranny and ultimate disaster!
To grasp power without the integrity, responsibility or proper authorization
under divine establishment contributes to the decline of a nation.
There are many types of discipline
and punitive action for failure to recognize authority in the national entity.
When laws contrary to the principles of divine establishment are passed,
national leadership becomes immoral. Such a nation is vulnerable to socialism,
internationalism and welfare systems as well as to the discipline that results
from such degeneracy. In a national economy, certain laws cannot be denied or
ignored without dire repercussions and penalties!
Every inhabitant of a nation —
believer or unbeliever — is commanded by the Word of God to be obedient to the
authority of that government.
Let
every soul be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no
authority except by means of God, and those which exist are established by God (expanded
trans., Rom. 13:1).
This declaration of submission to
authority within any given national entity was penned during one of the most
tyrannical and unjust reigns in the history of the Roman Empire. While it does
not condone the practices of the Emperor Nero, it serves to strengthen the
principle of divine establishment (Tit. 3:1). Regardless of the character of a
ruler, he represents the ultimate human authority in the nation he governs.
King Saul was reversionistic and out of line in seeking David’s life, yet David
recognized him as the Lord’s anointed and refused to give his men permission to
assassinate him (1 Sam. 24:6). Rulers are responsible to God, and He will
promote them or remove them according to His purpose and time. Assassination or
the overthrow of government by force constitutes evil violence and is utterly contrary
to divine law. Problems that require establishment solutions can never be
solved by the violation of those laws.
Therefore, he who resists authority has opposed the
ordinance of God (laws of divine establishment). Also they who have opposed
will receive condemnation on themselves (expanded trans., Rom. 13:2).
There must be a system of
orderliness if mankind is to survive. God has ordained national sovereignty to
preserve a group or state from anarchy and self-destruction. Socialism,
internationalism and revolution pervert legitimate authority and are in total
opposition to divine establishment. All such distortions of divine principles
will be judged and removed by God before they reach the point of eradicating
the human race (Rev. 18).
For rulers are not a cause of fear for good works, but
for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good (function
under laws of establishment as part of morality), and you will have praise from
the same
(expanded trans., Rom. 13:3).
Rulers are those who hold delegated
authority in any echelon of government The law-abiding citizen who adheres to
the laws of establishment has no cause for fear from its magistrates. Potential
violators of the law must be restrained by the fear of just retribution from
duly constituted authority. Either the authority will administer punishment or
these violators will be disciplined by the natural consequences of rejection of
that authority!
For it (authority of the ruler) is a minister of God to
you for good; but if you do what is evil (violate the law), be afraid! For it
does not bear the sword (capital punishment) for nothing. For it is a minister
of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil (habitual
criminal)
(expanded trans., Rom. 13:4).
Under Divine Institution Number
Four, the leaders or authorities of the state are ministers of God, appointed
to judge and execute the. criminal. The government cannot properly fulfill its
function in keeping law and order without the enforcement of capital
punishment. There is always a large segment of people in every country and in
every generation who are devoid of character and whose lack of honor and
integrity render them negative toward the laws of divine establishment
From the combined operation of their
own volition and their old sin nature, they may decide to enter a life of
crime. In pursuing such a course, they will inevitably use lawless violence;
thus, the only supremacy they will respect is a greater violence than their
own. These types must be restrained by the lawful violence of establishment,
just as a strong military discourages or defeats the evil violence of an enemy
who seeks to rob a nation of its freedom. Since murder deprives another of his
life and liberty, the murderer must be punished by legal violence.
The reluctance of the courts in the
United States to exercise the deterrent of capital punishment is a terrible
tragedy. Crime increases in direct proportion to the decline of punishment of
capital crimes. This situation was dramatized recently when the Supreme Court
reinstated the highly restricted use of capital punishment. When a nation is
under the influence of religion or unrealistic liberalism, authority breaks
down and strong punitive measures against proven criminals are decried
as
inhumane and cruel. All but ignored is the victim who has been deprived of his
right to live!
Capital punishment has never been
rescinded in the Word of God! Established by God as the need arose in the
Dispensation of the Gentiles (Gen. 9:5, 6), it was reiterated in the Jewish Age
(Lev. 24:17), again in the Church Age (Rom. 13:4), and will be enforced by the
Lord Himself in the Millennium (Isa. 11:4). The intent behind God’s
pronouncement of the death penalty for murder is to preserve human lives. Nothing
deters the would-be murderer more effectively than the knowledge of certain
execution if convicted. However, capital punishment is not a matter of personal
revenge. No citizen has the right to take the law into his own hands. The
execution of capital punishment must be discharged by duly elected and properly
appointed authorities within the framework of the establishment. That is why we
have police officers, courts, judges and juries!
Therefore, it is necessary to be in subjection to
authority, not only because of the wrath (punishment for rejection of
establishment), but also for conscience’s sake (expanded trans., Rom.
13:5).
Whereas fear of retribution helps to
restrain crime, the believer should be motivated to avoid criminal activity by
the norms and standards from doctrine in his soul.
For because of this, you also pay taxes; for those in
authority are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing (expanded trans., Rom.
13:6).
In accordance with the divine
principle of nationalism, all citizens are obligated to pay taxes. Abuse by
unfair and burdensome taxes does not negate this precept Leaders of government
and those who provide services of government must be paid by a structure of
taxation, just as in an ancient Israel the priests and Levites were maintained
by the Jewish system of taxation or tithes.
Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due;
custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor (expanded trans., Rom.
13:7).
The principle of responsibility to
one’s nation includes payment of taxes, obedience to its laws and fulfillment
of civic duties, such as jury duty and participation in the defense of the
country. It also implies separation of church and state. This issue was defined
when the Herodians, Sadducees and Pharisees united in an attempt to trap and
discredit the Lord Jesus Christ. “Tell us therefore,” they said, “is it lawful
to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” (Matt. 22:17). If Jesus answered in the
negative, He would be branded as a revolutionist and executed; if He answered
in the affirmative, He would be denying the authority of the Divine Institution
of Nationalism.
Jesus was neither deceived nor even
remotely disconcerted by their hypocrisy (Matt. 22:18). “Show me the tribute
money,” He ordered. When they handed Him a denarius, He asked, “Whose is this
image and superscription?” (Matt. 22:20). Thinking they had trapped Him, they
answered triumphantly, “Caesar’s!” (Matt. 22:21a). Then came the brilliant
statement which completely confounded His hecklers and at the same time
confirmed the divine precept of combined responsibility to and separation of
church and state. “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s;
and unto God the things that are God’s!” (Matt. 22:21b).
Jesus enucleated the divine
principle that two kingdoms exist on earth — a spiritual kingdom of believers
and the national entity, composed of believers and unbelievers. Both kingdoms
have a place and should not be in conflict. They are to be coordinated but
never combined! The state must not penalize anyone for rejecting or accepting
Christ nor coerce anyone into believing in or renouncing Him. A personal
relationship with God, or lack of it, should be a matter of privacy and
personal choice, and the state must maintain separation between church and
state in order to safeguard the freedom and rights of its citizens.
Until recent times, ecclesiastical
and governmental autonomy have been preserved in our country. However, the
National Council of Churches, an evil and antibiblical organization, which has
become a powerful political lobby in the last thirty or forty years, has
exerted phenomenal influence in every sphere of our government and has broken
down the barriers. What was formerly a radical statement from the liberal
pulpit is now the policy of our administration!
The church supports good government
by teaching the principles of divine establishment found in the Word of God;
but it must never become that government! God has separated the two in order to
protect the world from religion. One notable improvement that America
instituted in contrast to the mother country and which has resulted in blessing
for our nation was the separation of church and state. England used the
taxpayers’ money to finance the Church of England, and this abuse became the
source of many of her woes.
A state church always breeds
trouble, and in the present dispensation is always, without exception, satanic
and anti-God. Under union of church and state, the Person and work of the Lord
Jesus Christ is invariably attacked. Wherever religion is in control, there is
aggression, torture, abuse, enslavement and evil violence, as vividly
illustrated by the Spanish Inquisition in the fifteenth century.
General
Authorities
Authority in Academics. There
are two basic authorities in the academic realm: the administration and the
faculty. The principal, president or superintendent is responsible to set up a
system of administrative policy and to supervise its execution. Anyone who
matriculates in a school or in any academic organization must accept its policy
and administration. The student is also obligated to respect the authority in
the classroom — the teacher or professor — by concentrating on the information
presented and exhibiting poise and good manners, regardless of whether he
agrees or disagrees with the subject matter. In short, the student’s rights and
privileges are limited to learning!
The two most detrimental factors in
academics today are lack of discipline and the poor use of authority,
manifested by total permissiveness in allowing students to express their views.
As a result, they are full of opinions but devoid of a correct scale of values.
Knowledge is acquired by concentration, not by-slating opinions or demanding
rights, and this concentration requires discipline and respect for authority.
The school administration should be
able to prescribe standards of conduct, grooming or dress, as they deem
advisable. Yet, in the majority of schools today, administrators and teachers
no longer possess this prerogative. Students and even parents have so
undermined the principle of authority in education that objectivity has
virtually disappeared. Parents, above all, should support both administration
and faculty. If they do not approve of the school code, they should place their
children elsewhere. When a college student cannot obey the authority in a
school, his only alternative is to leave. He has no right to heckle or to
disrupt a class in any way and deprive others of the liberty to teach or to
learn.
If our educational system is to
function properly, teachers and administrators must have authority, and there
is no authority apart from discipline. The seeds of revolution are sown when a
generation lacks parental discipline and goes through the academic system
without regard for authority!
Authority in Athletics. For
good team work, as well as the building of character, authority is essential in
athletics. The coach or manager is the final authority — not the parents, team members or sentimental spectators! The coach
should be entitled to remove boys from the team, establish strict codes of
dress, morality or any other rule he considers necessary for the function of
the team; and he should be backed to the hilt by the school administration,
parents and students! If a coach sets up a policy that the boy who works is the
boy who plays, he must be allowed to enforce it by benching a player who may
have superb ability but lacks self-discipline. To permit an unruly or arrogant
person to play simply in order to win or to further the coach’s career, could
(and often does) have disastrous effects on that individual.
The woods are filled with athletic
bums who were not benched when they should have been! It takes courage to
override objections from parents or school administrators and to bump a player
with superior ability in order to achieve the greater goal. When a coach can
exercise his authority objectively and a team member can learn to accept the
regimen, both are richly rewarded!
Authority in the Military.
Freedom through military victory is based on authority in the military
organization. Delegated power is well established; rank is defined, and the
superior officer or noncommissioned officer is the authority. The right of
command is absolutely essential in the successful function of the military.
When an order is issued, it must be executed without hesitation! In wartime,
lives depend on unflinching obedience. If a man in uniform can refuse to comply
with any order he does not like, then authority breaks down, and there is
confusion, loss of life, and ultimately, national freedom is forfeited.
Participation in military action
demands the surrender of liberty in order to gain liberty. That means that in
military service it is necessary to relinquish certain personal rights and
privileges and to submit to the discipline and authority essential in the
training of soldiers. A well-trained professional army, in turn, will preserve
these rights and freedoms through ascendancy on the battlefield.
Military defeat, however, means
enslavement to a foreign power. You may or may not live to see our country
invaded and destroyed by its enemies. You may starve to death first or die of
disease! But when you yell, “God help!” just remember that God has been trying
to help you for years, but you have been in His way. You have failed to take in
Bible doctrine or to recognize the authority of your pastor-teacher as well as
all other authorities in life. Bible doctrine in the souls of mature believers
is the preservative of a nation under the principle that Jesus Christ controls
history!
Authority in Business.
Authority in an industrial economy is called “management”; those who work under
management are termed “labor.” The executive, the boss, the foreman, the
supervisor, or whoever is in charge, has the right to determine policy and set
the requirements of a particular job. If, in the boss’ opinion, the job calls
for a white shirt, a black tie and a crew cut, the employee is-obligated to
comply (Eph. 6:5, 6; Col. 3:22). Should he refuse, the management is within its
right to fire him! Tragically, the apostasy abroad today has obscured the
principles of authority in business, as in every other area. Labor and labor
unions are formulating policy, dictating to management and usurping power. Yet,
under divine establishment, labor is entitled only to do its job and to
function according to the procedure set up by management. If an employee does
not agree with company policy or working conditions, he has only one right — to
find another job compatible with his standards. This is not a harsh concept,
for a responsible employer understands that a definite part of his obligation
as the authority is consideration for his workers (Col. 4:1).
Apart from the proper exercise of
authority, a business cannot operate efficiently. Imagine what would happen if
people arrived at work when they felt like it and did what they wanted on the
job instead of what they were told! There would be chaos!
Anyone who owns capital and invests
money in a business venture has the prerogative of prescribing overall policy
and, in keeping with the law of free enterprise, neither the government nor any
employee is authorized to override that structure. Capital — not labor —
creates business! When power-mad labor gets out of line, free enterprise is
paralyzed, and prosperity is pulled out from under the nation. Respect for
authority is concomitant with success and prosperity. The economy of any nation
depends on authority in business as well as in government, military, education,
marriage and the family. Obedience to authority is a maxim no one can evade in
life and have blessing!
In our country, we have lost all
concept of our national destiny, either as it relates to other nations or,
above all, as it relates to the Trinity. We are represented by men in high
places who succumb to every type of weakness and cowardice in their attempts to
placate all the national and world religious groups. Never have we had so many
traitors in government to lead us
down
the road of reversionism and catastrophe! We have betrayed countless millions
of people to communism by our immoral foreign policy. The thinking of our
general populace is even more in harmony with communist ideology than the
typical Russian attitude today! The Soviets are now looking for some form of
capitalism to bail them out of their economic predicament and perpetuate the
communist facade, while we are in the process of destroying the most perfect
system of
capitalism
since the Roman Empire!
Never in history has there been a
more difficult time to be engaged in business activity than at the present. The
most attacked minority in the world is management. When the federal government
enacts laws that stifle ability and genius in business, when governmental
agencies dictate to management and when the labor unions have a stranglehold on
national industry, it is virtually impossible to maintain a country’s greatness
and prosperity. A person who wants to work should have
that
right, whether he carries a union card or not. That’s the American way! If some
labor group does not want to work fine. Move them on out, and hire new
employees who do want to work! They should have the freedom to work at a lower
wage, if they so desire. Texas is one of the most phenomenal states in the
country for good right-to-work laws. Thank God for freedom in Texas!
A definite part of the Plan of God
for members of His Royal Family is to represent Him in the business world,
whether they are in the category of management or labor (Eph. 6:5-9; 1 Tim.
6:1-19). Regardless of how menial may be his position or how important, the
believer is in full-time Christian service as he functions in his occupation.
Therefore, he should do his job as onto the Lord not to please men, but with
the same vigor, enthusiasm and concentration as he would for any phase of
Christian service (Col. 3:22-4:1).
The principle of enterprise, in
which a person utilizes his abilities and skills to earn a profit, may appear
contrary to the principle of grace in which no one ever earns or deserves favor
or blessing from God. In reality, however, both represent the same concept:
adjustment to justice. For example, if a businessman correctly adjusts to the
reality of the marketplace, it is absolutely fair and just that he reap a
profit for his courage, good judgment and hard work. Likewise, the blessings of
grace come to members of the human race only because of justice. In grace,
however, the work is never accomplished by human effort; it is performed
entirely by God: the price of salvation demanded by God’s perfect justice has
been paid in full by the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross.
Although we can do none of the work,
we must nevertheless adjust to the justice of God by non-meritorious faith in
the One Who did earn our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are adjusted
to God’s justice, He is absolutely fair in blessing us! Thus the attribute of
God’s essence that demanded a penalty for sin in the first place, now becomes
the security and guarantee of eternal blessing for the believer! Furthermore,
blessings in time accrue to the believer who continues to adjust to God’s
justice. But just as the faith that claims salvation is non-meritorious, so
also the adjustment to justice in Phase Two involves no human work or
achievement but is accomplished by the intake of Bible doctrine through the
grace apparatus for perception and the application of that doctrine in the
filling of the Holy Spirit
In business, a person must work to
produce and to receive a profit. The government welfare system is a satanic
attempt to reproduce the perfect conditions of the Millennium. It will never
succeed because the old sin nature resident in every individual precludes any
possibility of happiness apart from working for a living. The soul and body
fall apart under inactivity!
Admittedly, the business world today
is an extremely vicious type of combat: cutthroat competition, dishonest
practices and lack of integrity all combine to test the believer to the maximum.
But to bad-mouth, complain or cheat on management is spiritually
self-destructive. Bad management or poor policy is no excuse for rejecting
authority (1 Tim. 6:1, 2). God has a Plan for the mature believer in the
business world to be blessed, regardless of the pressures and adversities. In
His grace, He has found a way to promote, to prosper and to assure success for
the Christian businessman with Bible doctrine in his soul!
Unless the believer in business is
fortified with doctrine, he will succumb to the pressures, and his spiritual
life will be neutralized by evil or reversionism. Management and labor alike
are blessed by the same principle — the assimilation of doctrine via the daily
exercise of the grace apparatus for perception and advance through the various
stages of spiritual maturity, where divine blessings to them glorify God to the
maximum!
THE
RIGHT AND WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY
We have noted that Jesus Christ
controls history in three ways: directly, by His sovereign intervention; indirectly,
when mankind follows the divinely ordained laws of establishment; and
permissively, when God allows negative volition and evil to run their course as
part of the angelic conflict. God’s purpose for the Church Age is to form a
Royal Family for Jesus Christ and to enable the members of the Royal Family to
glorify Christ on earth (Eph. 1).
We have seen that the purpose for
divine establishment is to protect human freedom for both believers and
unbelievers. In fact, all freedom is designed so that without hindrance or
coercion man might hear the Gospel, respond with faith in Christ and advance to
spiritual maturity by the intake of doctrine. Historically, there must be
certain circumstances whereby positive volition can express itself in the
consistent function of GAP. Various periods of history
have provided these conditions to a maximum degree, such as the Roman Empire
during the reign of the Antonine Caesars, England during the Victorian Period,
and our own country during the last century through World War II. Where there is obedience to the laws of establishment and human
authority, there is freedom; where freedom exists, believers can assemble in a
local church under the ministry of a pastor-teacher, grow spiritually and
advance toward the objectives of super-grace, ultra super-grace, dying grace
and finally, the PCS (permanent change of
station) to the surpassing grace of eternity.
Under the principle that Jesus
Christ controls history, the criterion by which a nation is preserved or
destroyed is the attitude of the nation’s believers toward Bible doctrine. This
is the point at which the angelic conflict relates to the events of history.
The believer with Bible doctrine resident in his soul not only receives great
personal blessings but, like salt in the ancient world, he has a preserving and
flavoring effect on his nation (Matt. 5:13). The special blessings of maturity
include spiritual and temporal blessings, blessing by association, historical
impact and eventually, dying blessing. A mature believer radiates blessing to
those in his own periphery as well as to his entire nation; and like a
spiritual Atlas, he supports his generation in history!
From God’s point of view, there are
two sides of history: the right side and the wrong side! Those who are on the
right side of history live in accordance with God’s Plan and design for the
human race, while those on the wrong side are disoriented to grace and set
aside the divine Plan. On the right side, there is the proper use of freedom;
on the wrong side, slavery to the satanic system of human good and evil
thinking. Every unbeliever, even though he might be strongly establishment-
oriented, is still on the wrong side of history, simply because he rejects the
One who controls history. On the other hand, a believer is not automatically on
the right side. Believers must link up with the Plan of God through the
assimilation of Bible doctrine. Those who fail to fulfill this obligation cheat
themselves of happiness and contribute to the destruction of their nation.
In the second chapter of First
Timothy, Paul issued a gracious command for prayer for divine establishment as
the basis for freedom.
First of all, therefore, I continually command in the
form of a request that entreaties for personal needs, prayers, intercessions,
thanksgivings be made on behalf of all mankind; namely, on behalf of kings and
all who are in authority, in order that we may lead an undisturbed and tranquil
life in all godliness and probity. For this is noble and acceptable in the
opinion of our Savior-God (expanded trans., 1 Tim. 2:1-3).
The right side of history is
summarized in Scripture by the word “godliness’ (EUSEBEIA,
and a closely related word. THEOSEBEIA), meaning “duty toward God.” Both
are synonyms for super-grace or fulfillment of the responsibility to achieve
advanced spiritual growth. They actually connote the technical concept of the
balance of residency in the soul between the filling of the Holy Spirit and
maximum doctrine, which characterizes experiential sanctification.
Establishment and human authority are essential for accomplishing spiritual
maturity. On the surface, freedom and authority may seem to be in conflict; but
in reality, they support each other on the right side of history. Freedom
cannot exist without authority; authority and discipline are the basis for the
continuation of freedom.
All spiritual blessing, from
salvation to super-grace, ultra super-grace and dying grace, is based on
individual freedom that makes it possible for a person to hear the Gospel,
respond by faith in Christ and advance to spiritual maturity. Hence, the
importance of intercessory prayer for those in authority under the laws of
establishment. Most of us, as members of the Royal Family of God, have failed
to fully utilize our spiritual weapon of prayer as part of our advocacy for
authority and establishment!
Those on the wrong side of history
fall under the satanic policy to distort godliness by reversionism and evil.
Satan, as the ruler of this world, has adherents from among every race, class
and intellectual stratum of people. As the master-counterfeiter, he has a
pseudo super-grace system in which he furnishes his own temporal blessings and
rewards of wealth, success, promotion and leadership dynamics, custom-tailored
to each of those who serve him and carry out his policy of evil. To promote his
objectives, Satan must enlist numerous apostles and evangelists of evil who
will affect an outward facade of godliness in order to establish a rapport with
positive believers.
Holding to an external form of godliness, but having
disregarded (renounced or repudiated) the power (Bible doctrine) of that same
godliness; also be turning yourselves away from these (reversionistic
evangelists of evil) (expanded trans., 2 Tim. 3:5).
Covered with the veneer of morality,
piety and sweetness, these religious con artists often cannot be distinguished
from genuine super-grace believers, and many Christians are seduced by their
hypocritical personality and charming manner. The only true test for the
genuineness of an individual is his attitude toward Bible doctrine. Satan’s
system of evil and its application of human good invariably exclude, ignore or
reject the issue of doctrine. His objective is not to lead people down a
pernicious path of immorality or degeneracy but to promote brotherly love,
human kindness and good works!
In spite of their saintly facade,
those on the wrong side of history despise all true good related to God,
whether divine good or moral good.
Ones with no capacity for love, implacable, malicious
gossips, without self-discipline, animals (i.e., violent and brutal people),
haters of good (both divine and moral). Traitors, thoughtless types, having
become conceited (puffed up with pride), lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God
(expanded trans., 2 Tim. 3:3, 4).
There are three types of good in
history. First, human good is the application and expression of Satan’s
rulership and policy of evil. The devil’s policy includes evil thinking as well
as human good, both of which manifest his genius. Second, moral good is man’s
exercise of and obedience to the laws of divine establishment. Finally, divine
good is the production of the mature believer under the filling of the Holy
Spirit. Doctrine is the source of divine good, while observance of the laws of
divine establishment produces moral good. Human good is in opposition to both!
It is accumulated by people on the wrong side of history who are functioning
under reversionism, carnality and lust from the old sin nature.
Every characteristic mentioned in 2
Timothy 3:3 and 4 typifies reversionists, who uniformly display dishonest,
unfaithful, treasonable, dishonorable attitudes toward all authority. They are
disloyal to the Lord by rejection of Bible doctrine and to the local church
through repudiation of the pastor’s authority, lender the influence of
reversionism and evil, they become the servants of Satan and are guilty of
treachery in the angelic conflict. In essence, they are also traitors to their
country — without patriotism or loyalty. While subscribing to the policy of
Satan, they can never reach super-grace or become the salt or preservative of
the nation! Disloyal and unfaithful to friends, employer or right man or right
woman, these types eventually betray all human relationships. Unreliable,
undependable and unstable, traitors of any description are on the wrong side of
history. Learn to spot them and disassociate yourself from them, or you will
join them!
When a believer takes a nose dive
into reversionism and falls under the influence of evil, he inevitably phases
out Bible doctrine and substitutes human good, and the devil has gained a vote
of confidence. That Satan has achieved his goals to a record-breaking degree is
evident today in those forms of evil known as religion, liberalism and
internationalism, all of which are on the wrong side of history. Religion, in
fact, is the devil’s ace trump! Notice, I did not say “Christianity.”
Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ; religion is a relationship
with Satan through reversionism. Since religion is a system whereby man by his
own efforts and merits attempts to gain salvation or the approbation of God, it
is always a form of reversionism and evil and invariably includes some type of
legalism.
Religion, as Satan’s answer to
spiritual growth, is therefore his counterfeit of super-grace and ultra
super-grace. It epitomizes his system of evil and is the most detrimental
influence in our society today. Yet as long as the devil is the ruler of this
world, religion will continue to exist; and while we cannot abolish it, if we
recognize its evil and do not allow it to affect national policy and function,
it can be neutralized to some extent. The ultimate solution to religion, of
course, is the dissemination of Bible doctrine so that the laws of
establishment can operate under the principle of authority.
Any believer on the right side of
history is a spiritual Atlas holding up his generation. As goes the super-grace
believer, so goes that generation! There have been some ultra super-grace
heroes who have not only held up one generation but have been a stabilizing rod
for all posterity. In the divine Record, the two outstanding examples are Moses
and Paul. As the leader of the Jewish nation, Moses wore the mantle of
continuous pressure for forty years; yet he possessed fantastic happiness and
blessing during that time. While the Apostle Paul was totally surrounded with
the cloak of opposition for only six years, no other believer exerted a more
profound impact on history nor enjoyed correspondingly increased happiness
right up to dying grace and his transfer into Phase Three!
All super-grace believers are
subject to satanic attack; but if they advance to ultra super-grace, the pressure
intensifies and becomes round-the-clock opposition. This “enfilade fire” from
Satan is the highest accolade God can bestow on any believer in time. Those
individuals whom Satan uses to harass believers become history’s trash cans,
discredited or forgotten, even though they may be phenomenal geniuses who,
under demon influence or demon possession, have had a brief impact on history.
Two such apostles of evil whom Satan brought to the forefront of history to
oppose Moses were Jannes and Jambres (Ex. 7:11; 2 Tim. 3:8). In Paul’s
generation, Phygellus and Hermogenes were among Satan’s most effective
servants, raised up to attack the ministry of the great apostle (2 Tim. 1:15).
It is true, even among believers, that those on the wrong side of history are always
in conflict with those on the right side. Reversionistic believers are often
the most vigorous antagonists to super-grace or ultra super-grace believers!
Two ultra establishment unbelievers,
Gains Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte, became stabilizing rods in history
through the application of establishment principles. Similar in many respects,
both men possessed the ability to relate their multi-genius to history and
therefore correctly interpret the events of their contemporary eras. Both
reshaped the course of history, and we are indebted to them for creating
numerous vehicles for the promotion and success of establishment principles.
Both were subjected to continuous satanically inspired attack during their
lifetime. Even with their passing from the scene, these assaults against them
have not abated. Yet, with all their genius, they died tragically on the wrong
side of history because they rejected Christ as Savior and failed to link up
with the doctrine that Jesus Christ controls history.
Now be knowing this doctrine, that
in the last days (of a dispensation or a nation) hard times (disaster from
reversionism) will be imminent (threat of distress) (expanded trans., 2 Tim.
3:1).
Every dispensation or nation
terminates with extraordinary apostasy, characterized by concentrated
reversionism and influence of evil. “Hard times” are the result of either the
fifth cycle of discipline to a nation (through military defeat) or a satanic
counterattack at the close of the dispensation which results in the overwhelming
influence of evil. Sooner or later, believers, who because of lack of Bible
doctrine are not capable of interpreting contemporary history in relation to
the angelic conflict, will react to some event or disaster and be swept into
the various stages of reversionism. Many failures of the believer are linked to
the fact that he cannot cope with historical reality, which can be understood
only in the light of Scripture.
Even worse for the unbeliever on the
wrong side of history is the judgment after death and eternity in the Lake of
Fire (Rev. 20:15). Only the super-grace or ultra super-grace believer can avoid
reaction to contemporary history and a tragic end. The believer on the right
side of history, who possesses in his soul those pertinent doctrines which
correctly interpret history, dies gloriously, has a true impact in time, and
leaves behind blessing for family, friends and nation!
THE
CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF HISTORY
Why
the Wicked Prosper
When we view the world today, we might
ask ourselves several questions. Why does Jesus Christ permit the Soviet Union,
one of the most evil empires in history, to continue to exist and even to
appear to prosper? Why is communist China allowed to survive for another day?
And even little upstart communist Cuba? Why does the Lord hold back from wiping
these arrogant blights off the face of the earth? There are more people
enslaved today than at any other time in history, and satanic policies are
making greater inroads worldwide than ever before. In the face of all this
staggering evil, why is the United States under the gun of divine discipline?
We are being warned from three
sources. First, history warns us with the shocking fact that we have lost two
major wars to the communists in the past twenty-five years. During this time,
we have declined to an all-time low in our military preparedness, while the
Soviets, for example, have steadily advanced. The USSR now possesses the most well-developed military machine since the days
of Rome, or, before that, the invincible Assyrian Army. Second, the laws of
divine establishment, which were designed to provide freedom and prosperity,
also issue a warning. As we see the disintegration of establishment in the
United States, it is a glaring signal that something is wrong! Finally, the
Word of God itself serves to alert believers to the danger of rejecting Bible
doctrine. Maximum negative volition, resulting in patterns of national
degeneracy, can only incur divine discipline against our nation (Lev. 26:14-39;
Hos. 4:1-6; Rom. 1:18-32; 2 Tim. 3:3, 4).
But if we have fallen under divine
fire, then why do the anti-God, antiestablishment communist powers continue to
exist? In other words, “Why do the wicked prosper?” (Job 21:7; Pa. 2:1; 37;
73:12). As part of the angelic conflict, a nation is often tested in a crisis
situation. Will believers stick with doctrine, or will they get their eyes on
the enemy, panic and fall helter-skelter into human viewpoint and reversionism?
Just as field training exercises are essential for realistic military training,
so believers must also face the test of maximum adversity.
A second reason why evil is allowed
to continue is the principle that under Jesus Christ’s permissive control Of
history, aggressive and arrogant nations are often used as whips to administer
divine discipline against reversionistic nations which are totally under the
influence of evil.
The
Priest Nation
At any period in history, somewhere
in the world, God has a priest nation.
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy
nation.. These are the words which thou (Moses) shalt speak unto the children
of Israel
(Ex. 19:6).
A priest nation is God’s repository
on earth for Bible doctrine. In such a nation, the Gospel is freely
communicated, doctrine is widely taught and missionaries are sent out to carry
the Word of God to areas of positive volition throughout the world. The priest
nation is always pro-Semitic.
When both the Northern and Southern
Kingdoms of Israel had been destroyed under the fifth cycle of discipline,
God’s storehouse of doctrine became Chaldea and then the Persian Empire. With
the return of the Jews from captivity and afterward, under the heroic
leadership of the Macabees, Israel again functioned as a priest nation. Later,
the Roman Empire, as the setting for the first century church, became the
nation in which doctrine flourished. Where did doctrine move after Rome was
sacked and finally destroyed? To the Frankish Kingdom of Merovingians. Other
nations, such as Brandenburg under the Hohenzollerns, Sweden during the Thirty
Years’ War, Switzerland at the time of Zwingli, France in the days of the
Huguenots, Ireland and later, Scotland, all served as priest nations. More
recently, in the last century, Victorian England provided the freedom for the
communication of doctrine, and British missionaries carried the Gospel
throughout the world.
With the decline of the British
Empire, the United States became the custodian of doctrine and has been
directly and remarkably blessed by the Lord. Tragically, however, we as a
nation have now become so involved in self-righteousness and good works, so
bound up in the evils of human solutions to world problems, so jaded by
reversionism, that we have forgotten our heritage and the importance of personal
spiritual advance. We have ignored our opportunity and responsibility to
glorify Jesus Christ through doctrine resident in our souls, and as a priest
nation we are on our way out!
In the angelic conflict, Jesus
Christ permits evil to run its course. The communists will eventually be
destroyed because the reality of God’s Plan unfailingly crushes any false
system that evil can construct. God can afford to let evil nations run loose
for a while, but He cannot permit His own priest nation to abuse its spiritual
heritage. As a parent who jealously guards his own children, God always
maintains a firmer control over those nations that have a relationship with
Him. The USSR has never been a doctrinal
nation, but the United States was formed on principles that reflect Christ’s
own thinking. Furthermore, there has always been a strong foundation of mature
believers in this nation. If we disregard our spiritual legacy, we can expect
to be summarily removed, not only as a world power, but as a free people!
The basis for survival and
prosperity for any priest nation is the attitude of its believers toward Bible
doctrine (Hos. 4:6). No nation can ever survive the dissolution of objective
thinking, and no priest nation can outlast its own rejection of doctrine. The
tragic and rapid decline of the United States can be reversed only if believers
in this nation return to our true national heritage — Bible doctrine. God is
absolutely just, and He always honors His Word resident in the souls of
believers. The struggle for the United States, therefore, is taking place now.
It is the fight to avoid all distractions and to take in doctrine every day. If
the daily battle is consistently won, then when the overt crisis erupts, when
the Soviets launch one of their many plans for conquering the United States,
the mature believer will be prepared to win that major conflict! The knowledge
of Bible doctrine not only orients believers to the importance of the laws of
divine establishment but heightens appreciation of the value of military
preparedness in the face of wiley and powerful enemies.
When the scourge of communism
finally strikes the United States, you have a choice: you can react to what you
do not understand and become inundated in the maelstrom of rapidly changing
circumstances, or you can respond to what you do understand from your knowledge
of the Word of God. Should the nation go down, the command post of Bible
doctrine in your soul will guarantee your personal preservation, even if the
nation itself is destroyed.
The final cycles of divine
discipline can quickly overtake the United States; yet that tragedy need not
happen! It depends on the attitude of believers in this priest nation toward
Bible doctrine. We are at the Rubicon in our national history. We can go in one
of two directions: destruction as a nation, or recovery and entrance by way of
doctrine and the laws of divine establishment into a period of unprecedented
national blessing!