Part One
TO THE NATION
WHAT PRICE FREEDOM
BELLIGERENT NATIONS WIELD MILITARY
force not to defend their sovereignty but to vanquish and enslave other
nations. Is resistance to such aggression worth the price of young men marching
to war? Each generation must decide. If a nation wishes to perpetuate inviolate
the priceless privileges and blessings of independence, warfare is inevitable.
Every generation must face the crucible of war. Freedom is bought and paid for
by the blood of individuals who set a higher value on their liberty than on
life itself. If one generation is not prepared mentally and spiritually to
defend such values, if enough individuals in a national entity reject the
principle of freedom through military victory, liberty languishes.
Despite man’s zealous efforts to
achieve freedom through peaceful means, wars will continue until the end of
human history when Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, reigns on earth for one
thousand years (Isa. 9:6; cf., Eccl. 3:8; Micah 4:1-3; Mark 13:7; Rev. 20:4).
For man to presume that he can accomplish what only Jesus Christ can accomplish
in the Millennium is a total disregard for the Scriptures and the height of
arrogance. Jesus Himself declared the certainty of war.
“And you will be hearing of wars [armed conflict] and
rumors of wars [cold wars]; see that you are not frightened, for those things
must take place [a part of history], but that is not yet the end [of the Tribulation].
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matt.
24:6-7a).[1]
Only when Jesus Christ inaugurates
His kingdom at the Second Advent will warfare be abolished.
Until then conflict, a manifestation
of the sin nature resident in every person and Satan’s rulership of this world
(John 12:31), will plague mankind. The fate of nations will continue to be
decided on the battlefields of the world. A nation must prepare for war to
insure an endowment of freedom and an interim of peace.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down,
and a time to build up. . . . A time for war, and a time for peace. (Eccl. 3:3, 8b)
In A.D. 425 Augustine, Bishop of
Hippo and antiquity’s foremost theologian, affirmed the biblical principle of
freedom through military victory in his letters to Boniface, chief warlord of
the western Roman Empire. Augustine exhorted Boniface to defend Mauretania, a
Roman colony in north Africa, against the invading Vandals. Augustine reassured
his Christian friend that he could serve in the military, slay the enemy, and
still glorify God.
Some, then, in praying for you
[Boniface], fight against your invisible enemies; you, in fighting for them,
contend against the Barbarians, their visible enemies. . . . Think, then, of
this first of all, when you are arming for the battle, that even your bodily
strength is a gift of God. . . . War is waged in order that peace may be
obtained.[2]
Peace is the ideal environment for
freedom. Freedom is exemption from arbitrary, external control; the function of
free will uncoerced by threat or violence. For a client nation to God like the
United States of America, Bible doctrine in the soul of believers is the
foundation for freedom (John 8:32).[3]
And
I will walk at liberty [in freedom], For I seek Thy precepts [Bible doctrine].
(Ps. 119:45)
The pursuit of biblical truth always
promotes personal and national freedom. Yet maintaining that freedom demands a
strong national defense — a military establishment trained, motivated, and
supported to defend national freedom and interests.
The Constitution and Bill of Rights
of the United States of America define our liberty. Yet these cherished
fundamentals of American government would have been worthless parchment without
the six-and-a-half year war in which the Continental army defeated the tyranny
enforced by the British army. Today, the U.S. military still defends and
preserves our precious freedom from eradication by foreign enemies. Only armies
can protect freedom from armies that seek to destroy freedom. The United
States, or any nation that desires autonomy, must maintain a military force
trained and equipped for war.
The United States faces an impasse!
During the twentieth century our foreign policy has been one of intermittent
isolationism and drastic military reduction, especially between the world wars
and after the fiasco of Vietnam. Such a policy assumes that insulating this
country from foreign conflicts will secure freedom and peace. But when
bellicose nations pursue confrontation, a policy of isolationism is divorced
from reality.
As the United States emerged from a
period of isolationism preceding 1939 the handwriting on the wall spelled war.
The United States sought peace but Germany and Japan would not be deterred from
their course of conflagration. Our lack of military preparedness and policy of
appeasement inevitably drew us into World War II. A generation of soldiers paid a terrible
price for our weakness. Yet those who fought and won that war understood and
abided by the principles of divine establishment. They crushed the enemy and
insured freedom for their generation.
The freedom the United States
possesses has been purchased through the sacrifice and suffering of courageous
men. We as a people have the right of self-determination because of military
victory. We as Christians have the privilege to assemble in public worship
services and to evangelize unbelievers without persecution courtesy of the
military. Since 1776, we owe an immeasurable debt to all our gallant fighting
forces, especially to those who gave their lives that we might remain a free
people. To sustain our liberty the people of the United States of America must
observe the laws of divine establishment.
LAWS
OF DIVINE ESTABLISHMENT
In His omniscience God knew in
eternity past that man would choose to sin. He knew that once man acquired a
sin nature he would have unlimited potential to destroy himself. To preserve
and perpetuate human existence during the course of the angelic conflict, God
instituted the laws of divine establishment for believer and unbeliever —
principles designed for the protection.[4] stability, orderly
function, survival, and blessing of the human race. These laws declare freedom
to be man’s most valuable possession. When mankind observes these laws, he
restrains the sin nature and exhibits the highest expression of individual
freedom.
The human race cannot long endure
without a system of control. Legitimate authority, the umbrella of divine
establishment, protects human freedom. Authority is the power delegated by God
through the laws of divine establishment whereby certain members of the human
race have responsibility for and jurisdiction over other members of the human
race. Authority protects self- determination, privacy, property, human life —
the basic components of freedom. While authority exists in both the spiritual
and temporal realms, divine establishment involves only temporal authority. An
example of divine establishment is the Ten Commandments ordained exclusively to
govern the theocratic client nation of Israel. This “Magna Carta” of human
freedom defined liberty, morality, and divine authority for believers and
unbelievers within Israel. The first five commandments em- bodied the sovereign
rule of Yahweh over the national entity and served as an evangelistic witness
to the unbeliever. For believers in Israel these commandments defined
individual spiritual freedom and provided the environment for developing a
spiritual life (Ex. 20:1-12; cf. John 8:32), but did not constitute the
spiritual life. The last five formed the biblical paradigm for morality and
summarized the hallowed precepts of civil independence that protect the privacy
and property of believers and unbelievers alike (Ex. 20:13-17). Although this
code was designed by God specifically for Israel, these same truths guarantee
personal freedom and national liberty to any nation operating under divine
establishment axioms.
THE
DIVINE INSTITUTIONS
God ordained four divine institutions
through winch the laws of divine establishment function: the individual,
marriage, family, and the national entity. These four founding principles for
mankind are clearly delineated and consistently verified by Scripture. God
delegated a primary authority within each institution: volition for the
individual, the husband for marriage, parents for the family, and government
for the national entity. While the divine institutions were in God’s plan from
eternity past, they came into existence at various points of time. The
individual was ordained with the creation of Adam in Genesis 1:26; marriage
with the creation of the woman in Genesis 2:22; family with the birth of the
first child in Genesis 4:1; the national entity with the formation of nations
in Genesis 10:5. These four institutions apply to every human being regardless
of race. nationality, gender, social or spiritual status, or any other factor.
|
Divine Institution |
Authority from Divine Establishment |
|
1. The Individual |
1. Volition |
|
2. Marriage |
2. Husband |
|
3. Family |
3. Parents |
|
4. The National Entity |
4. Government |
Adam was originally created perfect
by God as a trichotomous individual — a composite of body, soul, and spirit.
When he disobeyed God and sinned, Adam became dichotomous — body and soul. At the
Fall he lost the human spirit and acquired a sin nature, the source of
spiritual death. As his progeny, every human being is born dichotomous and
spiritually dead, unable to have fellowship with God (Rom. 5:12). Regeneration
by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone creates anew the human spirit, rendering
the believer in Christ trichotomous and spiritually alive.
The basic authority for the first
divine institution is volition. God created man to operate rationally under the
volition in his soul rather than according to his instincts. While there is
variation in human aptitude and capacity to learn, all individuals possess this
decision-making ability. God could have computerized the human race so that
individuals would be programmed to carry out His plan. Instead, He desires that
every person respond to His grace and serve Him willingly without coercion. Mandates from God are
directed toward volition. Therefore, volition is a major issue in the angelic
conflict; everyone must be a free agent to accept or reject eternal salvation
and then to serve Him (Josh. 24:15).
“He who believes in the Son [Jesus Christ] has eternal
life; but he who does not obey [the mandate to believe in] the Son shall not
see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)
Who
[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the [full] knowledge of the
truth. (1 Tim. 2:4)
Proper regulation of volition in the
soul of both believers and unbelievers demands self-discipline. Self-discipline
is the consistent decision to do what ought to be done with the determination
to avoid any distractions that hinder the accomplishment of an objective. This
fundamental character trait is the foundation for integrity, honor, and
nobility, as well as all other virtuous at- tributes that enable each person to
fulfill his destiny. Without self-discipline man abuses freedom by making bad
decisions. Truly great people in life are self-disciplined.
One of Robert E. Lee’s lieutenant
generals, John Brown Gordon, described the importance of self-discipline to
personal character and national freedom. He tells the story of Confederate
troops in June of 1862 facing an almost invincible Union position on the summit
of Malvern Hill during the Seven Days’ Battles around Richmond, Virginia.
Northern artillery was mercilessly pounding the Southern lines, tearing huge
gaps through the ranks. As shells struck, the victims were literally blown
apart. Noise, dust, and death enveloped the embattled troops. In the midst of
this carnage a panic-stricken rabbit suddenly darted from its hiding place and
sprinted furiously toward the rear, away from the gunfire. A mountaineer in the
Confederate ranks, noting the rabbit’s speed and direction of flight, raised
his voice above the din of battle and 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 people.[5]
Today, General Gordon’s words ring prophetic.
The decisions you make manifest your character, integrity, and wisdom and
determine the course of your life and the stability of your nation. When the
majority of citizens in a nation decide to shun establishment principles, the
balance between authority and freedom ceases to exist. Remember: Freedom
without authority is anarchy and authority without freedom is tyranny.
Achieving the proper balance between freedom and authority demands a personal
sense of responsibility. With the freedom to make decisions comes the
responsibility for the repercussions of those decisions.
One dimension of divine
establishment is the law of volitional responsibility which stipulates that you
are accountable for your own decisions and actions. Hence you can never blame
others for the mishaps and suffering that result from your bad decisions. You
must take full responsibility for your associations, activities, motives, and
modus operandi.
People have the ability to exercise
freedom of choice to determine the course of their lives, unless severely
limited by some form of tyranny or slavery. Yet not even the crudest tyranny
can remove what you choose to think. If you are free and decide to operate
under divine establishment precepts, you sustain and preserve your personal
freedom. If you decide to reject these divine precepts, you progressively limit
your future options. The choices you make dictate the life you lead.
Marriage
After salvation one of the most
important decisions in life is that of a lifetime partner. Marriage and
volition originated in the Garden of Eden before the Fall (Gen. 2:22-24). Since
the man and the woman must make a decision to enter this mutual relationship,
marriage is an application of the authority of the first divine institution.
Marriage provides the structure for stability in society, the foundation of
civilization. God’s plan for husband and wife prohibits fornication, adultery,
promiscuity, homosexuality, communal living, polygamy, frivolous divorce. When
the divine design is spurned by sufficient people, degeneracy permeates society
and a nation declines.
God designed one specific man for
one specific woman. He assigns authority to the husband (Eph. 5:22-23; Col.
3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1) who is mandated to love his wife (Eph. 5:25) and to assume
the responsibility to guard and maintain her freedom. To fulfill his
obligation, the husband must possess and express from his soul virtue, honor,
and integrity. The woman must also possess virtue in her soul. She is mandated
to “respect” the authority of her husband (Eph. 5:33b) to whom she willingly
surrenders her freedom. This respect is the highest form of a woman’s love in
marriage.
The marriage of the right man to the
right woman:
1. forms the most basic unit in
society;
2. provides the framework for
conjugal love and the only legitimate environment for sex;
3. becomes the foundation for the
third divine institution — the family.
Family
This fundamental organization of
society combines with marriage to form a second biblical safeguard for the
perpetuation of the human race. Two parents, mother and father, create the
environment for raising children. An infant enters the world helpless, needing
protection and training until able to sustain himself. The family offers
material provision, security, discipline, and guidance enveloped in parental
love.
In addition to these staples of
nurturing, parents are mandated to instill in their children norms and
standards. Authority in the family is vested in the parents. Parents must teach
children obedience, the difference between right and wrong, and inculcate them
with the principles of self-discipline, manners, and respect for others.
Training and correction within the family convey stability to the individual,
as well as to the national entity.
And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but
bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4)
While parents have numerous
responsibilities, children have only one responsibility within the family — to
respect and obey their parents (Eph. 6:1-3).
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
pro- longed in the land [nation] which the Lord your God gives you.” (Ex. 20:12)
He who curses his father or his mother, His lamp will go
out [death] in time of darkness. (Prov. 20:20)
The
eye that mocks a father, And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will
pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it. (Prov. 30:17)
Once a child learns to obey his parents
and understands the principle of authority, .he is prepared to respect all
other authorities in life, including those appointed over him in a military
organization.
When basic principles of authority and
self-discipline are not taught early in a child’s life, they often reject all
forms of authority as teenagers and young adults. Without authority orientation
taught in the home that includes personal humility and respect for adult
supervision, juveniles become insolent and defiant. Devoid of boundaries and
self-absorbed, they reject society’s norms
and
standards. Peer pressure replaces adult authority. Self-gratification replaces
the authority of law. These young people turn to alcohol abuse, illegal drugs,
illicit sex, or gang activity. Violence becomes rampant, criminality is
commonplace. If a significant number of young people defy authority, mindless
rebellion overwhelms an entire generation.
When parents do not fulfill their
responsibility and children do not “honor” their parents, the nation suffers
from insecurity, instability, and eventual loss of liberty. National
disintegration begins in the family.
1. Insecure husbands result in
insecure wives.
2. Insecure parents result in
insecure children.
3. Insecure children produce an
insecure generation.
4. An insecure generation demands
security.
5. In demanding security from
government an insecure generation becomes an entitlement generation.
6. Entitlements are offered to an
insecure generation by insecure politicians.
7. Insecure politicians offer some
form of socialism that is always divorced from establishment principles found
in the infallible Word of God.
8. An insecure government gains
power and entitlements for itself and finances the pseudo security of socialism
through confiscation of wealth by unjust taxation and redistribution of wealth
in the name of the greater good for the greater number.
9. Utopian socialism combines with
Marxism to establish economic and political doctrines based on false theories
of dialectical materialism and the promotion of class warfare. The result is a
demagogic government that offers pseudo security to an insecure generation
through public lies and false promises, destroying individual and national
freedom.
10. Instead of government being the
servant of the people, the entitled, insecure people become slaves to a
dictatorial bureaucracy. Absolute power in the hands of insecure and
incompetent rulers whose power lust feeds on an insecure generation demanding
something for nothing results in a nation selling its heritage of freedom for a
mess of pottage.
The cycle of insecurity starts with
the dissolution of the family and ends with the internal self-destruction of a
nation. Therefore, maintaining stability and freedom depend on the integrity
and standards of marital and parental authority. When parents have no virtue,
the next generation lacks virtue, becomes insecure, and the nation declines.
The
National Entity
Evil was rampant throughout the
world during the age of negative volition (Gen. 6:1-7). So God took severe
measures to insure the survival of the human race by precipitating the
worldwide Flood. After the Flood only Noah’s family survived; they alone
expressed faith in the Savior and remained true to His plan. From Noah’s sons,
Shem, Ham, and Japheth, sprang three groups of gentile descendants. As the
population increased they eventually gathered at Babel in a satanically
inspired rebellion against God. They presumed to “reach into heaven” through
their own ability and concerted effort.
Human achievement although sometimes
admirable often has evil consequences. When human accomplishments obscure the
reality of man’s total separation from God or supplant the grace of God as the
one true solution to human problems, God intervenes. Divine judgment at Babel
divided the people of earth into various countries.
The division was originally based on
racial, geographic, and linguistic boundaries.
From
these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands
[geography], every one according to his language, according to their families
[race], into their nations. (Gen. 10:5)
Genesis 11 further reveals the
events surrounding God’s separation of these people into nations.
And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city
[Babel], and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us
make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the
whole earth.” (Gen.
11:4)
The city of Babel was to provide a
world center for the human race, and the monumental tower was to serve as a
physical and spectacular symbol of world unification. God’s judgment upon this
one-world government was a clear warning against all efforts to establish any
form of international rule and a ringing endorsement for the concept of the
national entity. In a world dominated by the sin nature absolute power vested
in a unified international body would always degenerate into ironclad
totalitarianism.
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the
Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord
scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. (Gen. 11:9)
The nature of the divine judgment
upon this first try at a World State is deeply interesting. It is generally
conceded that the cement which holds men together in groups and nations is what
we call a common culture, and the very core of such a culture is found in
language, man’s marvelous ability
to communicate ideas. It was exactly at this point that the judgment of God
struck: the common bond of “one language” was supernaturally destroyed [Gen.
11:6-7], and the multiplication of tongues led to the formation of different
groups and, ultimately, nations. For the chief obstacle to the achievement of
the one world state of “Internationalism,” . . . is the barrier of language.[6]
To protect the human race from the
self-destructiveness of a one-world state God established the national entity
as the fourth divine institution. He “scattered” mankind to limit the
expression of human arrogance and impede the spread of evil (Gen. 11:8). If
everyone in the world spoke the same language, wickedness would intensify.
Different languages and the founding of the client nation to God constitute a
divine barrier against the proliferation of evil.
The Apostle Paul’s address to the
Athenians establishes the validity of the fourth divine institution for the
Church Age, allowing Christians to apply the ancient lesson from Babel to the
current dispensation. Paul emphasizes that God’s purpose in separating the
nations and setting “the boundaries of their habitation” is “that they should
seek God” rather than be inordinately impressed with human achievement embodied
in the religion, philosophy, and poetry of the Greeks (Acts 17:26-27; cf.,
17:21, 23, 28).
National entities exist to prevent
the world from degenerating into chaos. God sanctions nations to restrain man’s
sin nature. They provide a deterrent against the tyranny Satan seeks to
perpetrate on the human race and the lethal tendencies of mankind. God also
sanctions government as the authority within a national entity to restrain the
unbridled evil that man without boundaries will commit. Government is designed
to protect individual volition, safeguard privacy and property, and maintain
internal tranquillity through law enforcement and external security through
military preparedness (1 Pet. 2:13-14).
Let every person be in subjection to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist
are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has op- posed the
ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon
themselves. For rulers [government] are not a cause of fear for good behavior,
but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and
you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for
good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword [capital
punishment] for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger [arbiter of
justice] who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is
necessary to be in subjection [to the authority], not only because of wrath,
but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers
are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 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. (Rom. 13:1-7)
God ordained that “rulers” should
obey and defend the laws of divine establishment. Likewise, every inhabitant of
a nation, whether believer or unbeliever, is exhorted to obey the authority of
the ruler. Significantly, Romans 13:1-7 was penned during the reign of the
emperor Nero, one of the most tyrannical and unjust regimes in the history of
the Roman Empire. The Scripture does not condone the practices of any tyrant,
but neither does oppressive governance negate the principle of obedience to
authority (Titus 2:153:1). Regardless of the character of a ruler, his office
represents the divinely delegated authority in that nation. The office, if not
the man, should always be respected.
IS
REVOLUTION JUSTIFIED? David exemplified obedience and deference to divinely
appointed authority even as he eluded the treachery of his sovereign. King Saul
of Israel. Possessed of a monstrous jealousy Saul sought the life of David, his
divinely anointed successor. David understood that Saul was responsible to God.
In His own purpose and time God would remove Saul and promote David. Thus,
David refused to retaliate by taking Saul’s life or to allow his soldiers to
assassinate Saul (1 Sam. 24:4, 6). Assassination or revolution is never
sanctioned by God.
Revolution is the deposing of the
existing establishment or government and the destruction of divine
institutions. The intent to overthrow one’s own government either through plots
and intrigue or by force of arms, including paramilitary activity, constitutes
evil and is always contrary to divine will. Fomenting revolution leads to
senseless mob violence and the lawless usurping of power. Whatever is gained in
revolution could have been accomplished without revolution. The end never
justifies the means. God swiftly punished Dathan and Abiram in their mutiny
against Moses (Num. 16). Problems requiring divine establishment solutions can
never be solved by violating divine establishment principles.
What about the American
Revolutionary War of 1776? Was this rebellion against the governing authority?
No! Ours was not a classic revolution in the manner of the French (1789) or
Russian (1917) revolutions, but a war for independence. We did not overthrow
the existing English government, abolish Parliament, eliminate the landowning aristocracy
and replace them with street rabble and anarchists. We sought to perpetuate the
divine institutions by establishing a republic that allowed the fullest
expression of individual freedom.
NATIONAL
CORRUPTION. There are always citizens in a nation who garner privilege
without responsibility. They enjoy the benefits and protection of their country
while giving their allegiance to a foreign government or a radical political or
paramilitary group bent on insurrection. This destructive duplicity shatters
the autonomy of a nation, as happened to Judea following the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jewish political and religious leaders paid a
bloody price for their hypocrisy. They exploited the benefits of Roman rule and
patronage while simultaneously plotting against Caesar. As the social structure
of Palestine disintegrated, the Roman procurator, Jewish leaders, Zealot
rebels, and desperados of all sorts vied for power and plunder.”
When open war broke out in A.D. 66
thousands of Jews in Caesarea were massacred. By A.D. 68 Vespasian had isolated
and surrounded Jerusalem. The siege concluded in A.D. 70 when Titus utterly
destroyed the city, slaughtered and dispersed the populace, and brought to an
end any semblance of Jewish autonomy in Palestine until 1948. The wages of
their sedition were anarchy, bondage, and death. Freedom cannot survive such
corruption in a society.
THE
CLIENT NATION. At any period in history, somewhere in the world God ordains
and maintains a client nation. This nation is God’s specifically protected
representative on earth, a repository for divine truth where the Gospel is
freely communicated, doctrine is widely taught, and missionaries carry the Word
of God to areas of positive volition throughout the world. The formation of
such a nation begins with people who responded to the grace of God and become
believers in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). A nucleus of these Christians grows
spiritually and forms a pivot of mature believers sufficient to sustain the
nation and through which God furthers His plan for mankind. Israel was the
client nation to God in the Old Testament era.
“’And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation [client nation].’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons
of Israel.” (Ex.
19:6)
When both the Northern (721 B.C.)
and Southern (586 B.C.) Kingdoms of Israel were destroyed under the fifth cycle
of discipline, God’s storehouse for doctrine resided with those faithful Jews
dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire and later the Persian Empire.” With
the return of the Jews from captivity Israel again functioned as a client
nation. Since the beginning of the Church Age on the day of Pentecost (A.D.
30), and the subsequent sack of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, only gentile nations are
client nations. These nations have the additional responsibility to provide a
haven for the Jews of the Diaspora. In the present age Jews who believe in
Jesus Christ are part of the Church (Gal. 3:28).
In the first century A.D. the Roman
Empire became the setting for the incipient Church and the first gentile client
nation. New Testament doctrine was written and widely circulated under SPQR, Senatus Populesque Romanus. Following the fall of Rome, subsequent
client nations were the Ireland of Patrick in the fifth century A.D. and the
Frankish Kingdom of Merovingians after A.D. 481; between the fifteenth and
seventeenth centuries Switzerland in the time of Ulrich, Zwingli and John
Calvin; Scotland in the era of John Knox; France after the Edict of Nantes (1598);
Sweden under Gustavus Adolphus; Brandenburg Prussia with the migration of the
Huguenots from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685). In
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries England manifested client nation status
by providing the freedom for the communication of doctrine and supporting
worldwide evangelism.
With the decline of the British
Empire the United States now stands alone as the client nation. This country
has been remarkably blessed by the Lord. Tragically, we have begun to
degenerate from within. In the last few decades the spiritual life of many
Christians has sunk to arrogant self-righteousness disguised as do-goodism and
secular solutions to national and world problems. Our mission as a client
nation is all but forgotten. The opportunity to glorify Jesus Christ through
learning and applying Bible doctrine has been disregarded. Fewer and fewer
believers are intent on spiritual growth and Gospel witness. More and more the
insidious tactics of Christian activism — a zealous crusade for a moral cause —
are replacing genuine Christian service. But the end never justifies the means.
In the angelic conflict Jesus Christ
permits evil to run its course (Prov. 16:3-4). Yet the forward march of God’s
plan in history will inevitably crush any false system that man or Satan can
devise. Although God allows wicked nations to exist and may utilize them for
His own purposes (Ps. 76:10a). He cannot permit a client nation to abuse its
spiritual heritage. God may use evil nations to administer the fifth cycle of
discipline to a client nation riddled with spiritual decay. When a client
nation is removed, God raises a new one in its place.
The United States is not now and
never has been a Christian nation.[7] We are a client nation to
God, founded on divine establishment principles that insure freedom for both
Christian and non- Christian. In the past the foundation of doctrinally
oriented, mature believers has been the source of divine blessing for the
nation. Yet if believers today reject this spiritual legacy, we can expect to
be destroyed, not only as a world power but as a free people and a client
nation.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of
doctrine]. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being
My priest [client nation]. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also
will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)
God is absolutely just. He will
honor His Word resident in the souls of believers, even as the United States
continues to decline. He will also preserve this client nation if a sufficient
number of believers are consistently learning and applying His Word. Bible
doctrine orients believers to the importance of the laws of divine
establishment for the nation and to the priceless value of spiritual life in
adversity and prosperity. Doctrinally oriented believers support law
enforcement for protection against criminality and military preparedness for
national security.
Gideon’s “three hundred” offers a
striking illustration of how doctrine in the soul of mature believers delivers
a client nation (Judges 7:5-7). God chose this unlikely leader from the least
important tribe of Israel. When Gideon delivered an appeal for soldiers to
fight against Midian, thirty thousand men responded to the call (Judges 7:3).
However, knowing that not all these men had the mental attitude of courage to
fight, God whittled down the volunteers to three hundred who had fortitude. God
honored this diminutive, doctrinally oriented force by using them to rout the
Midianites and preserve the nation.
The survival and prosperity of the
United States depend on such a pivot of mature believers.
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a
covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. (1 Pet. 2:16)
Only the grace of God can deliver
this nation from its current predicament. We do not need overwhelming numbers;
we just need enough mature believers for the Lord to use to accomplish His
purpose.
CHURCH
AND STATE. Although both church and state are ordained of God, they are
always to remain separate entities in the Church Age. God has separated the two
in order to protect the world from the tyranny of religion. When church and
state unite, freedom is destroyed as occurred in Spain during the Inquisition (1478-1834),'"666
England under the Puritan Oliver Cromwell (1649-1658), France rescinding the
Edict of Nantes under Louis XIV (1661-1715), and in some parts of South America today. Self-righteous
Christian activists who gain power become viciously intolerant of diverging
theologies and tyrannical toward believers and unbelievers. Believers are
persecuted for the ‘crime’ of disagreement. Unbelievers may be forced into
religious conversion denying them true volitional response to the Gospel.
The true Church, believers in
Christ, should have influence on a national entity as invisible heroes but
should never be identified as the state nor seek political control of the
state.[8] When the principle of
separation of church and state is disregarded, the results are disastrous to
the citizens of that nation. Civil and religious freedoms disappear.
The influence of the Church is
spiritual not activist. The presence of a pivot of mature believers obedient to
Bible doctrine and the laws of divine establishment is the preserving influence
on the national entity as “salt” (Matt. 5:13). Salt in the ancient world was a
preservative. The believer with Bible doctrine in the soul reflects the glory
of God and becomes a witness to a lost and dying world (Matt. 5:14-16). Even a
small pivot of mature believers can be the means of maintaining or restoring a
client nation (Gen. 18:22-32).
In contrast the activist Christian
loses his savor as the salt of the nation. Christian activism is built on the
false philosophy that the end justifies the means, which includes criminal
violence. Believers who become activists seek to settle spiritual issues with
political solutions. These arrogant, self-righteous Christians forget that
spiritual issues belong to the believer alone. The spiritual life and values of
the Church cannot be forced on the unbeliever or the believer. Only the
separation of church and state gives both human and spiritual freedom allowing
the optimum expression for human volition, which is the pivotal issue in the
angelic conflict.
As a believer in Jesus Christ you
have a tremendous responsibility in relation to the divine institutions. You
have the latitude of individual choice — to make good or bad decisions; you
have a duty to protect and provide for your family. Do you realize that you are
also to protect other families? How? By understanding the principle of the
separation of church and state and by fulfilling your responsibility to both
(Matt. 22:21). You must grow spiritually and discharge the obligations of citizenship,
including defending the nation as a soldier.
THE
DEFENSE OF A NATION
The right of self-defense is the
God-given prerogative of a national entity. The Book of Numbers authorizes the
conscription and training of a military force for Israel. The call to arms,
“whoever was able to go out to war,” appears fourteen times in the first
chapter. God brought the Jews of the Exodus out of Egypt for a purpose — to
seize the land He promised them. Chapters I4, 10, 13, 26, and 31 delineate
their mobilization plan: an order of battle (2:1-32); an alert system (10:7-8);
an order of march (10:14-28); reconnaissance, intelligence gathering (13:1-21),
and debriefing (13:26-33); a roll call of eligible males (26:1-51); a
deployment for battle (31:3-6); and the division of plunder (31:11-54). Israel
would be compelled to defend herself against a host of enemies. A military
establishment and a battle plan were crucial. This same obligation of defense
stands for any client nation.
The importance of spiritual life, national
leadership, and military service to the freedom of a nation is further
portrayed in the Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah details God’s military plan for
defending the postexilic city of Jerusalem. As in Old Testament times, the
spiritual life of believers, the divine establishment wisdom of those in
authority, and a prepared and equipped military are essentials for preserving
and defending our client nation.
Isagogical Background
Truly the Word of God is “alive and
powerful,” but translations are not always clear. Remember, the Bible is
inspired only in the original
languages of Hebrew and Aramaic in the Old Testament and Greek in the New
Testament — not in English.
Translations may not always articulate the true meaning of the original text.
In addition, historical settings in the Bible include a variety of ancient
cultures, all very different from our own, which affect word meanings.
When a study is made of any portion
of the Word of God, several methods of inquiry are used. First, the student
must orient to the historical time period in which the passage was written.
Next, he must discern the categories of Bible doctrine covered and study the
passages from this viewpoint. Finally, but of equal importance, is the analysis
of the original language of the passage to accurately translate the text.
Grammar, syntax, etymology, anachronisms, idiomatic phrases must be examined
before a passage of Scripture can be correctly interpreted. This threefold
biblical hermeneutic for studying God’s Word is called “ICE”:
Isagogics — the interpretation of
Scripture within the framework of its historical setting or prophetical
environment.
Categories — the hermeneutical
principle of comparing Scripture with Scripture to determine the classification
of doctrine.
Exegesis — a word-by-word,
verse-by-verse, grammatical, syntactical, etymological, and contextual analysis
of Scripture from the original languages of the Bible.
As we launch into a study of
military preparedness in the Book of Nehemiah, the ICE approach is essential.
Historical background and exegetical analysis must be covered so we might
understand the dilemma the Jews faced on their return from Babylonian exile.
Doctrine extracted from this study will orient us to the biblical view of the
military in our society today.
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND. King David and his heir Solomon ruled the united twelve Hebrew
tribes and expanded Israel’s borders. After Solomon’s death in 931 B.C. the
client nation fragmented. Jeroboam led the ten northern tribes in rebellion (1
Kings 12:1-19), dividing the nation into the larger Northern Kingdom of Israel
and the smaller Southern Kingdom of Judah that stretched from Jerusalem to the
Negev. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed and dispersed under the fifth cycle
of discipline by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.
In 586 B.C. God used Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Chaldea, as His instrument to bring chastisement on Jerusalem. Like the
Northern Kingdom, Judah rejected divine directives and foundered in idolatry.
Spiritual life within the nation ceased to exist. In the devastation that
followed Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest, the walls, palaces, and Solomon’s temple in
Jerusalem were leveled. The Jews lost not only all freedom and national
autonomy but also their national sanctuary, God’s dwelling place and the center
of His worship. The Jews who survived the invasion were enslaved and forced to
march from Ramah to Babylon, a captivity which lasted seventy years.
By 539 B.C. Babylon fell to the
powerful empire of Persia. In the next year (538 B.C.) Cyrus, king of Persia,
decreed that fifty thousand Jews return to Palestine. These were the children
or the grandchildren of the young men and women who suffered Nebuchadnezzar’s
wrath and endured the death march. Zerubbabel, the appointed governor of Judah,
led the crucial expedition to rebuild the Temple, the focal point of spiritual
life. Zerubbabel’s temple was completed about 516 B.C. Ezra led a second
expedition of Jews back from Babylonian exile around 458 B.C. (Ezra 710).
With the completion of the Temple,
Jerusalem needed a defense system to protect the inhabitants and to preserve
Temple worship. Nehemiah was God’s chosen leader for the task of rebuilding the
walls of Jerusalem. Like Daniel, who as an exile achieved high office in the
Chaldean and Persian Empires, Nehemiah was appointed at a young age by
Artaxerxes (Longimanus), king of Persia, to the influential court position of
cupbearer.[9] In this post of implicit
trust and unimpeachable loyalty, Nehemiah’s primary duty was to taste the wine
of the monarch to insure that it was not poisoned. His lofty position required
intimate and prolonged contact with the Persian royal family. Such close
association undoubtedly allowed him to obtain a commission as governor of Judea
and in 445 B.C. to return to Jerusalem with the authority to reconstruct the
fortifications of the city. But the rebuilding of the defenses of Jerusalem did
not go unopposed. Thus, the Book of Nehemiah emphasizes the importance of a
strong military for preserving and prospering the spiritual, economic, and
cultural life of a nation.
Enemy Activity
Now it came about when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the
Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem
went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry
[charah].
(Neh. 4:7)
Four neighboring tribes were
threatened by the return of the Jews and the reestablishment of a Jewish state:
Sanballat was the leader of the Samaritans, adversaries to the north; Tobiah
led the Ammonites, the eastern antagonists; Geshem (cf., Neh. 2:19) and the
Arabs were enemies to the south; and the Ashdodites, the surviving Philistines,
were foes to the west. When these four clans heard that the returning Jews were
erecting new walls for Jerusalem and closing the gaps in their defenses, they
reacted in anger. Of the several words in the Hebrew language for anger, charah, is the strongest. Their anger
was exceptionally hostile. They were alarmed by the prospect of a mass Jewish
migration back to the Land.
And all of them conspired together to come and fight
against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance [confusion] in it. (Neh. 4:8)
“All of them” indicates the jealous neighbors had formed an
alliance with a united objective: to prevent the Jews from raising a wall and
defending their national sovereignty. A wall around Jerusalem would provide a
haven for returning exiles. Without a bastion for protection Jerusalem could be
recaptured and destroyed anytime her enemies determined to do so.
The conditions in Nehemiah’s time
bear a striking similarity to the situation in the Middle East in the last half
of the twentieth century. Since the founding of the new Jewish state in 1948,
hundreds of thousands of Jews have migrated to Israel. Surrounding Arab states
have resisted this reemergence of Jews in the Land. Consequently, the Jews have
been forced to fight or be driven into the sea. Israel’s freedom and autonomy
are still contingent upon the strength and readiness of her military.
Similarly, the United States is not
without enemies. Yet we have stripped our military to bare bones. Our armed
services are woefully inadequate for effectively defending our vital interests
abroad. Nehemiah 4:8 encourages us to revitalize and maintain the military. We
should consider Israel’s continuing struggle for survival and heed the warnings
of Nehemiah. We should realize that our enemies will always oppose the
rebuilding of our martial capabilities even as the four tribes vigorously
opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall.
“All of them conspired together to
come” indicates the hostile approach of the four armies on Jerusalem. Their
objective: Make war against the city from all sides. These diverse groups
joined forces in a plot to destroy Jerusalem. “To cause a disturbance,” (to’ah), actually denotes creating
“confusion” to facilitate the purpose of the alliance. Clearly, these armies
were bent on exploitation, tyranny, and enslavement.
The National Response
When the exiled Jews returned to the
Land, they accomplished two tasks: First, they restored the function of the
Temple, revitalizing their spiritual life as the highest priority; second, they
provided for national defense by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and their
military establishment. Mandatory military training was instituted. They were
following the time-honored tradition mandated by the Mosaic Law.
And Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from
among you for the war [learn the use of arms and train for warfare], that they
may go against Midian, to execute the Lord’s vengeance on
Midian. A thousand from each
tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.” So there were
furnished from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve
thousand armed [trained] for war. (Num. 31:3-5)
The returned exiles under Nehemiah
maintained a small, regular army and a ready reserve consisting of the entire
eligible male populace. Each man was instructed in the use of a weapon. On any
given day the reserve troops might be soldiers or civilians. Judah was prepared
to defend itself.
But we prayed to our God, and because of them [the enemy]
we set up a guard [watch] against them day and night. (Neh. 4:9)
The conjunction “but” emphasizes the
two areas in which a nation must undergo preparation when facing an antagonist.
Notice first the aspect of spiritual readiness. “We prayed [palal] to our God” literally means, “But
from our own free will, we offered intercessory prayer to our God.” They prefaced
their operational preparations with a petition to the Lord.
The second priority of a nation is
military readiness. “A guard against them day and night,” (mishmar ’aleyhem yornam valaylah), is a phrase encapsulating four
critical spheres of grand strategy for national defense:[10]
1. the ability to mobilize a
military force to meet an invading army;
2. constant readiness and training;
3. a sagacious and
establishment-oriented civilian administration;
4. a united civilian populace that
supports a common national objective.
With foresight the Jewish leaders
had organized for any contingency and were able to counter the threat of the
aggressively approaching armies. Since they had already established a superb
military organization that could be rapidly mobilized, the troops were now
placed on maximum alert.
Their determination to defend
Jerusalem reveals something about the Jew of ancient Israel. Like his
counterpart in the modern state of Israel, he was a formidable soldier, a
ferocious fighter who exhibited courage, resourcefulness, and mental toughness
in the face of aggression.
In the phrase “set up a guard
against them,” the verb ‘amad’ means
“to be caused to be stabilized, to take one’s stand” and the noun mishmar means “a guard” or “a watch.”
These Jews were vigilant and ready for action. While the apostate Jews in the
days of Jeremiah neglected and rejected their military, the steadfast Jews
under Nehemiah had a fully staffed, well-trained military establishment.
Clearly the returned exiles had learned from their past mistakes.
Internal Opposition
Thus
in Judah it was said,
“The
strength of the burden bearers is failing,
Yet
there is much rubbish;
And
we ourselves are unable
To
rebuild the wall.” (Neh. 4:10)
Some of the Jews complained that
they could not reconstruct the defensive wall around the city as long as full
mobilization was in effect. When Nehemiah called up the reserves, that left
only the “burden bearers,” an exhausted crew of rock carriers, still clearing the
“rubbish.” The wall had been devastated in Nebuchadnezzar’s siege and was still
in deplorable condition, useless for protecting the inhabitants. So much rubble
remained that the builders could not maneuver to actually reconstruct the
ramparts. Faced with an impending attack and too little time to rebuild,
Nehemiah decided to develop defensive tactics with a fully mustered legion and
to trust in the Lord for deliverance.[11] While verse 10 reveals the
internal discord among the returned exiles, verse 11 describes the plotting of
the enemy from without.
And our enemies said, ‘They [the Jews] will not know or
see [the plot] until we [invaders] come among them, kill them, and put a stop
to the work.” (Neh.
4:11)
The armies of the Samaritans, the Arabs,
the Philistines, and the Ammonites finalized their strategy for a surprise
attack and converged on Jerusalem. Unbeknown to these conspirators the element
of surprise would have no effect. The Jewish army, well trained and on full
alert, was prepared.
The four aggressors understood the
difficulty of attacking a prepared military defense. They opted for the shock
of surprise, to catch the defenders una- wares. Their immediate objective was
to kill the exiles already in Jerusalem. Their long-range objective was to
discourage any new contingent of returning Jewish refugees from completing the
defensive bulwark of Jerusalem’s massive walls.
And it came about when the Jews who lived near them [the
invaders] came and told us ten times, “They will come up against us from every
place where you may turn.” (Neh. 4:12).
Even though Nehemiah inaugurated
mandatory military training, even though the army was prepared for every
exigency, even though the general populace would fight to avoid enslavement and
annihilation, there were still some cowards who wanted to surrender. Jews from
outlying areas had reconnoitered the approaching armies and could see no
escape. Terrified over the possibility of attack, they flocked to the city
frantically repeating a warning to Nehemiah, “Our enemies are coming from every
direction — we are trapped!” Knowing such hysteria could spread to the troops
and the public-at- large, Nehemiah took decisive action.
Military Preparation
Then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space
behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families
[mishpachah] with their swords, spears, and bows. (Neh. 4:13)
After estimating the situation
Nehemiah issued an operations order. He arrayed the troops in a defensive posture
to meet the enemy strategy. Nehemiah was not only a student of the Word of God,
but also of military science and human nature. He used the terrain and the
available forces to best advantage. Lacking a completed wall around the city,
he set up a defensive perimeter, concentrating troops at the gaps in the
fortifications to act as a holding force.
How could such a sparse first line
of defense hold in the face of a numerically superior force? Nehemiah literally
stationed his troops in their mishpachah,
“clans.” Each combat unit consisted of extended family members. In close
proximity to each unit were wives, children, and other noncombatant relatives.
Thus the soldiers were placed in naturally cohesive groups and furnished with a
constant reminder of the dire consequences that defeat would bring to their
loved ones. This family immediacy would give the warriors added incentive to
fight on to victory. What a brilliant and innovative command decision! Nehemiah
exhibited exceptional moral courage, an essential attribute for any military
leader.
The strategy behind stationing “men
in the lowest parts” was to hide the main body of troops from the enemy. In so
doing, regardless of which enemy army attacked first, Nehemiah could call on
his hidden reserve forces to meet the most prominent threat. Nehemiah had thus
provided a defensive perimeter around the city and a mobile reserve to maneuver
on interior lines.[12] The advantage of fighting
on interior lines is the ability to concentrate all available combat power against
the most immediate danger. A smaller force can preserve the initiative against
a larger force. Clearly Nehemiah understood strategy and tactics.
Hidden from sight on the low ground,
Nehemiah set up his mobile reserve, his instant reaction force. Their position
shielded them from the prying eyes of the enemy. The hostile forces
theoretically would observe only the weak perimeter and then proceed
recklessly, confident of easy victory. At just the right moment, Nehemiah would
move the reaction force and strike the attacking enemy on the flank. Thus, the
enemy would face a tenacious holding force and a second aggressive force,
attacking from a different angle. Here is the advantage of fighting on interior
lines. After the enemy is defeated in one quadrant, the reaction force can move
quickly to a different section of the perimeter and respond to a threat from a
new direction.
Notice again the last phrase of
verse 13, “with their swords, spears, and bows.” The Jews had weapons and they
knew how to use them. They had the means and the will to protect their country
and their loved ones. Disarmament is never an option for a people desiring
freedom.
From Nehemiah’s example an
application can be made to the United States of America. From time to time the
freedom of this country depends on general officers who accurately understand
and skillfully employ the military science of strategy and tactics. Only after
years of intense training and study in technical military subjects is a
commander capable of deftly and effectively maneuvering troops. Such
proficiency comes only through constant practice and preparation. Yet this
country has discouraged gifted men from dedicating their lives to the study of
military science. Those who have chosen to follow the noble profession of arms
receive little honor from those they serve. Often they are hated and ridiculed
by their countrymen. What a tragedy! No nation can survive in time of war
without such courageous and competent soldiers.
Civilian Preparation
When I [Nehemiah] saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the
nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them;
remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your
sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” (Neh. 4:14).
Who was Nehemiah addressing? The
aristocracy, the bureaucracy, and the rest of the citizens — all the civilians!
Nehemiah knew the danger of civilian leadership traumatized by fear. Instead of
communicating sound national objectives, fear would cause them to overreact and
issue contradictory orders that would impede the professional soldiers.
Although Nehemiah did not need their interference in his strategic and tactical
decisions, he did need them to prepare themselves mentally for the coming
battle. So he encouraged them to confront the consequences of their fear.
Nehemiah reminded the civilians why
they should not panic. Fear on the home front can be just as devastating to the
war effort as fear in the foxhole. Such fear can subvert national morale and
sabotage a people’s determination to defend freedom. So he urged the civilians
to focus on Bible doctrine. Nehemiah’s rallying cry was “Do not be afraid of
them; remember the Lord!” In effect he was saying to them, “You have doctrine,
now use it!”
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in
Thee. (Ps. 56:3)
The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What
can man do to me? (Ps. 118:6)
‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for
I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will
help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand.’ (Isa. 41:10)
Nehemiah did not divulge to the
civilian leadership his strategy of fighting on interior lines, the tactic of
envelopment or his ingenious troop dispositions. Security of the operation was
paramount. He could not risk the possibility of his carefully laid plans
falling into enemy hands through a slip of the tongue. Nehemiah had no time for
situation briefings or a long sermon. All his concentration was on the coming
conflict. Success in any endeavor in life requires the concentration to pay
attention to detail while staying focused on the objective. However, Nehemiah
remained a brief moment with the civilians to remind them that the Lord is
“great and awesome”; their God was a mighty warrior, “the Lord of hosts,” the
ultimate Commander in Chief. With the Mighty Warrior in control what did Israel
have to fear from her enemies? Nehemiah exhorted them to employ the faith-rest
drill[13] so they could handle their
fear and invoke the battle cry of King David:
“The
battle is the Lord’s and He will give you [the enemy] into our hands.” (1
Sam. 17:47b)
‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great
multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.’ (2 Chron. 20:15b)
God uses warfare to judge nations
which have become depraved. At various times in the course of Israel’s history
the Lord of hosts had given the command “Annihilate the enemy!” to keep
corruption from spreading or to preserve His people (Deut. 7:2, 16; 20:16-17;
Josh. 11:20-21). In First Chronicles 5 the Jews were fighting the Hagrites,
descendants of Hagar, the Egyptian servant of Sarah and Abraham (Gen. 16:1-10).
God condoned this war as judgment upon Canaanite apostasy.
And they made war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish,
and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were
with them [their allies] were given into their hand; for they [the Jews] cried
out to God in the battle, and He was entreated for them [their cause was just],
because they trusted [faith- rest] in Him. (1 Chron. 5:19-20)
For
many fell slain, because the war was of God. (1 Chron. 5:22a)
This is the divine perspective of
warfare: Victory demands that the enemy be rendered hors de combat. Wars
should be fought to win and winning means slaying the enemy.
Nehemiah 4:14 closes with the
command, “Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and
your houses.” This mandate reminds the warriors why they fight:
“For your brothers” — fight to
defend your fellow citizens, the national entity, divine institution number
four;
“Your sons, your daughters” — fight
to defend and protect children and family, divine institution number three;
“Your wives” — fight to protect your
right woman, divine institution number two;
“Your houses” — fight to defend
privacy, property, and freedom, divine institution number one.
Warfare is necessary as the guardian
of the four divine institutions.
First, Nehemiah calmed the fears of
the civilians. Then, he repeated the common cause for which the military would
confront the enemy — the freedom of the nation. Nehemiah personalizes this
statement by saying, “Fight for the survival and well-being of your families.”
If you are a soldier, memorize the
last phrase of verse 14. When you find yourself in combat on a foreign shore
thousands of miles from home, remember you are fighting for your loved ones. No
matter where the fray, or who the enemy, you are waging war for hearth and
home.
Military Preparation Prevents Wars
And it happened when our enemies heard that it [the
surprise at- tack] was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan,
then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. (Neh. 4:15)
Having “frustrated” the machinations
of the four enemies, the crisis passed without bloodshed. Why? The Jews were
prepared for war — ‘peace through strength!’ God honored Nehemiah’s compliance
with the divine defense plan. The Jews were ready and willing to defend their
freedom without reservation. Thus, the four aggressor nations were deterred and
retired without attempting an assault. The epitome of military preparedness is
to deter the enemy without a fight.
How different is the story of the
United States. After World War 1 the military capacity of our country was
drastically reduced by a deluded Congress. Our representatives mistakenly
believed we had just won ‘the war to end all wars.’ Such is never the case. Why
did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? They saw an easy target! The Japanese
took advantage of our appalling weakness. They planned to crush our
under-strength army and navy in the Pacific with one blow, leaving us helpless
to resist. Had our military been adequately prepared for aggression, the
surprise attack on Pearl Harbor might have remained only a scenario of Admiral
Yamamoto and the Japanese Imperial staff rather than the reality of 7 December
1941.
By the end of World War II our military power reached
its zenith. But rather than intelligent demobilization to maintain a semblance
of the most effective fighting force in the history of our nation, we
drastically reduced the army, mothballed the fleet, and gave up important
strategic advantages. Through irresponsible reduction of forces we were once
again left vulnerable. How quickly we forgot the price of freedom.
Within five years of World War II we were mired in the Korean
war for which we were shockingly ill-prepared in personnel and equipment. Ten
years later we committed troops to combat in Vietnam, untrained in guerilla
warfare and with no intelligible objective. The civilian population — Americans
enjoying the privileges of freedom — abandoned our soldiers fighting on that
distant, jungle battlefield. We forfeited morale, men, materiel, prestige, and
self-respect. Are we destined to continually repeat the painful lesson taught
by our lack of military preparedness? The old axiom seems to apply: We learn
from history that we learn nothing from history.
In contrast the Jews applied divine
viewpoint and learned the lesson of history. Nehemiah’s established war plan,
speedy mobilization, brilliant tactical deployment of troops, and the support
of the civilian population disheartened the four invading armies. The price of
attacking a primed defense was too high. When oppressors identify a tough
opponent, their resolve falters.
Since Nehemiah and his compatriots
understood divine viewpoint, especially the doctrine of the total depravity of
man, they had no illusions about the evil intent of the invaders. Totalitarian
nations harbor sinister intentions. Spiritual and military training are
necessary to prevent tyranny from prevailing. The Jews, both spiritually and
militarily prepared, could now prudently demobilize the reserves and finish
reconstructing the walls — an engineering feat they accomplished in a
remarkable fifty-two days (Neh. 6:15).
Intelligent Demobilization
And it came about from that day on, that half of my
servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields,
the bows, and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of
Judah.
(Neh. 4:16)
The reserves were demobilized and
“carried on the work” of raising the wall. The rock carriers welcomed the help
they had been begging for while the regular army maintained constant readiness.
The regulars, still mobilized, carried their weapons. This is the shrewd way to
demobilize. The Jews realized their enemies could return without warning. They
were not only equipped militarily for such a contingency, but were also
improving their defensive capability by rebuilding the wall. They had learned
the cost of maintaining freedom and national autonomy. It cannot be negotiated
with an implacable enemy. Freedom is the product of constant vigilance,
military might, and in the final analysis, the grace of God.
Whereas Judah had four unrelenting
foes, the United States has countless antagonists and few real allies. Absurd
military reductions have made our country dangerously vulnerable. We cannot
maintain freedom from a position of weakness — either military or spiritual
weakness. We must follow Judah’s example and pay the price for freedom by
supporting an extensive and proficient military. Nehemiah 4:16 concludes by
emphasizing the importance of leadership during Judah’s demobilization. The
rulers “behind the whole house of Judah” were leaders who understood the
necessity of a well-trained military supported by the home front. They
organized the people both to work and to fight.
The rebuilding of the United States
armed forces in the 1980’s brought our long-standing antagonist, the Soviet
Union, to dissolution without a shooting war. Our defense priority was an
astute application of the concept of freedom and peace through strength. Where
is that kind of leadership in the United States today? Both the executive and
legislative branches of government have denigrated and denuded the military. As
a result our national defense is impaired.
The next two verses continue to
recount the Jewish demobilization.
Those [the demobilized troops] who were rebuilding the
wall and those who carried burdens [the rock carriers] took their load with one
hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. (Neh. 4:17)
As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his
side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. (Neh. 4:18)
Why were the builders wearing
swords? Because these citizen soldiers — professional construction workers and
expert men-at-arms — were essential to the Jewish defense force. While the men
worked on the wall, they kept their weapons instantly available. Nehemiah did
not intend for the enemy to return and surprise the Jews before they could
complete the fortifications around Jerusalem. The military was so integral to the
survival of freedom that participation was a duty for every able-bodied man.
The demobilized reserves carried their weapons to work and were ready to use
them at a moment’s notice. They were true “minutemen.” Their call to arms was
only a trumpet sound away. They were spiritually, militarily, and mentally
prepared. Freedom so zealously guarded is freedom preserved.
THE
DIVINE VIEWPOINT OF THE MILITARY
The following biblical tenets will illuminate
your thinking concerning the purpose and necessity of the military. God
authorizes a military so the human race can survive war and guard freedom, just
as He authorizes the “sword” of state (Rom. 13:4) so the human race can survive
crime and live in freedom.
Freedom must be maintained.
The military maintains freedom.
Therefore, the military must be
maintained.
Protection of the Nation
Enemies may appear from within or
from without the nation. Scripture supports the right of law-abiding citizens
to defend themselves against evil and crime and a nation to defend against
hostile attack. Violence of evildoers is restrained only by the stronger
violence of the righteous. God could not be called good if “He were to turn the
world over to the horrors of unbridled cruelty perpetrated by violent and
bloody criminals or the unchecked aggression of invading armies.”[14]
In the operation of the military in
combat the enemy must be destroyed to protect freedom. The same is true of the
enemy within: The violent criminal must be removed from society therefore, the
necessity of imprisonment and capital punishment. The military destroys
external enemies; the judicial system executes internal enemies. Thus, peace
and the survival of a nation are ensured.
INTERIOR
PROTECTION. God ordained government to be the authority within a national
entity. As the guardian of liberty, a regime, whatever its form of governance
(parliamentary, monarchy, republic, etc.), must protect the inherent right of
its citizens to life, privacy, property, and freedom to succeed or fail
according to their own ability and volition. The national entity must also
insure the right of the individual to religious freedom — the opportunity to
accept or reject Jesus Christ as Savior (Acts 17:26-28) and grow in the
spiritual life (2 Pet. 3:18).
Civil liberty is maintained through
an objective judicial system that is respected by a majority of citizens. The
authority of the policeman on the comer and the judge on the bench protect
freedom within a nation. The police officer detects and deters criminal
activity, apprehends offenders, and keeps public order. Judges as leaders or
authorities in the state are “ministers of God” (Rom. 13:4) divinely ordained
to adjudicate and to punish. A system for establishing evidence in trials,
administering strict punitive measures for the guilty (Eccl. 8:1 1), and
obtaining the immediate release of the innocent characterizes equitable
jurisprudence. The entire internal security of a people de- pends on just and
skillful administration of law, which protects the innocent and punishes the
guilty.
EXTERIOR
PROTECTION. A nation that adheres to the laws of divine establishment is a
righteous power that provides a bulwark against any encroaching forces of
tyranny and evil. An honorable military defends national sovereignty.
Obviously, military invasion for personal or political aggrandizement, such as
the Nazis in World War II or the later communist aggressions, is not justified. Battlefield
victories won by virtuous nations forced to employ justified violence have
preserved freedom throughout history.
Does a nation protect its
sovereignty and freedom when it fights an enemy on foreign soil? The biblical
answer is delineated in Numbers 32. Two of the tribes of Israel, Reuben and
Gad, requested their parcel of promised land on the east side of the Jordan
River (v. 5). The rest of the nation’s land was to be on the west side of the
river. Moses was incensed that Reuben and Gad wanted to desert their fellow
Israelites about to begin the battle for dominion west of the river (v. 6).
Reuben and Gad corrected their mistake in a response to Moses.
And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered,
saying, “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. We ourselves
will cross over armed in the presence of the Lord into the land of Canaan, and
the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us across [east of] the
Jordan.”
(Num 32:31-32)
Reuben and Gad were saying in
effect, “We are fighting for our land by crossing the river and fighting on the
other side.” These two tribes realized that their freedom and autonomy depended
upon defeating the common enemy of the entire nation, even though that foe was
beyond the borders of their own territory. They would not wait for the enemy to
attack their domain but would strike first to spare their families and property
from the devastation of war.
When Charles Martel organized a
group of warriors and drove the followers of Mohammed back behind the Pyrenees
Mountains at the battle of Tours, Europe was saved from centuries of Islamic
rule (A.D. 732). Had it not been for a few Polish, Austrian, Prussian,
Hungarian, and Greek knights who had the courage to oppose Genghis Khan and his
invading Mongol armies. Western Europe would have been subjected to centuries
of barbaric Tatar domination.[15] With overwhelming power and
might the United States of America annihilated the tyranny of Japan and Germany
in World War II.
Decisive defeat of an enemy is the only way to assure autonomy. Such violence
is justified to deter evil aggression and perpetuate freedom.
PEACE
THROUGH PREPARED MILITARY. To insure peace a nation must be prepared for
war. Military weakness invites attack by belligerent, aggressive nations.
Military superiority deters aggression. Only those living in a fool’s paradise
support shirking military service, antiwar demonstrations, and disarmament.
Understandably, man desires peace,
and freedom is optimized during times of tranquillity, but the manner of
achieving and maintaining peace has been the subject of endless controversy
throughout history. Unrealistic Utopians advocate world peace through
capitulation, assuming harmony can be created among nations through good will.[16] These “doves.’ apostles of
appeasement, foster warfare. They beg and cry for peace “but there is no peace”
(Jer. 6: 4b).. Safety is never attained by ‘petting the cobra’ or peacefully
coexisting with the tiger. Those who try end up peacefully dead. When a nation
caters to confused idealists dreaming of a better world or hoping to bring in
the Millennium through disarmament and pacifism, that nation is being led to
the slaughter.
He
has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has violated his covenant.
His speech was smoother than butter,
But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil
[deceptive],
Yet they were drawn swords. (Ps. 55:20-21)
Throughout history deceptive words
have been uttered to mask “drawn swords.” Wicked nations proclaim peace when
their true intent is to wage war and subjugate other nations (Isa. 59:7-8).
These deceivers extend an olive branch in one hand while concealing a sword in
the other. The plight of a people desiring peace who are plagued by a
belligerent enemy is described by the psalmist.
Too
long has my soul had its dwelling
With those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I
speak,
They are for war. (Ps. 120:6-7)
Nations plead for peace, negotiate
treaties to guarantee peace, make compromises and concessions for peace, only
to be bitterly disappointed when the peace is violated and freedom threatened.
What is the response to the machinations of deceitful nations?
Historically, a balance of power
against aggressive nations has been the most effective insurance for an
interval of peace. The only way to avoid war is to be adequately equipped and
trained for war. In any generation the capability for righteous violence is
essential for the preservation of national free- dom. Only a prepared national
military can deter enemy aggression.[17]
The Inevitability of War
Despite man’s efforts for peace,
warfare will continue until the Millennium (Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9).
Never in human history has there been a time when warfare has not been raging in
some corner of the globe. In the period from 1990 through 1995 fifty-three
separate major armed conflicts were recorded.[18] The sin nature, mankind’s
volition, and the cunning stratagems of Satan in the angelic conflict are the
root causes. After the Rapture of the Church,[19] during the seven years of
the Tribulation conflicts will become even more brutal (Rev. 6—19). Only at His
Second Advent when the Lord Jesus Christ victoriously concludes the Armageddon
campaign will warfare cease.[20] Satan and all fallen angels
will be removed from the earth (Rev. 20:1-3). Then, with Jesus Christ on the
throne of the millennial kingdom, hostilities will no longer threaten the peace
of nations (Isa. 11:6-9; Micah 4:1-3).
And He will judge between the
nations,
And will render decisions for many
peoples;
And they will hammer their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against
nation,
And never again will they learn war.
(Isa. 2:4)
Until Christ returns in glory
warfare is inevitable (Eccl. 3:8) and under certain circumstances necessary for
maintaining national sovereignty and preserving freedom.
THE
MILITARY IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST. During the struggle to attain and
perpetuate Jewish freedom after the Exodus, the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ
reserved the title the “Lord of hosts,” Lord of the armies of Israel (2 Kings
19:31-34). in the Book of Joshua He is called “Captain of the Lord’s host.”
Jesus Christ was the Commander in Chief; Joshua was the chief of staff (Josh.
5:13—6:2). Joshua received a mandate from the Lord to destroy certain enemies
(Josh. 11:6; cf.. Dent. 20:15-18) so Israel might be preserved. This mandate,
directed toward the destruction of a society saturated in degeneracy, included
the divinely authorized killing of men, women, and children. Only then could
the people of Israel disentangle themselves from the pervasive and contagious
evil of a depraved society.
No leader today carries divine
authority to kill civilian men, women, and children. However, in the course of
all warfare noncombatants regrettably be- come casualties. Although such losses
arc to be avoided, God still sanctions the destruction of the enemy in battle
to attain victory and maintain freedom. At the word of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Assyrian army of 185,000 infantrymen was struck down in one night (Isa.
37:36). At the close of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will use righteous
violence to decimate the military powers invading the Middle East (Zech. 14:3).
The blood will run as high as the horses’ bridles (Rev. 14:20).
And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it
He may smite the nations [at Armageddon]; and He will rule them with a rod of
iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And
on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF
LORDS (Jesus Christ].” (Rev. 19:15-16)
Today pacifist believers would
probably censure the Lord Jesus Christ if they understood the full impact of
this passage. They envision Him as the meek and mild Jesus who spoke of turning
the other cheek in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:39). In reality He is the
one who “smites the nations.” The Sermon on the Mount relates to His personal
peaceful reign over the earth that will not be initiated until the Millennium.
The “sharp sword” of verse 15 is the
most formidable weapon of all time. With the words “from His mouth” our Lord
slays the armies at Armageddon. The imagery of “the wine press” signifies the
massive slaughter that terminates the Armageddon Campaign. Christ Himself
demonstrates how to win a war: Kill the enemy. Jesus Christ does not return at
the Second Advent to negotiate a peace settlement; He returns to destroy the
enemy. After their annihilation warfare will cease; freedom and peace will
reign for a thousand years.
Nations That Lose Wars Lose Freedom
National autonomy and well-being
inevitably depend on a superior army. A nation perpetuates freedom when its
military succeeds but risks enslavement when its military fails. A strong
military establishes a buffer against conflict. A nation cannot survive the
destruction of its armed forces.
When Zedekiah attempted to resist
Babylonian domination, the Chaldean army descended upon Judah. Although greatly
outnumbered, the Jewish military resisted from two fortified towns, Lachish and
Azekah (Jer. 34:7). They fought to defend national autonomy; the powerful
Chaldean army fought to destroy their impudent independence. The Jews were
defeated. Judah was ravaged as prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 12:12). Captivity
and enslavement followed the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (Jer. 40:1).
Military defeat and enslavement are
part of the consequences of the demise of every client nation under the fifth
cycle of discipline (Lev. 26:27-39). Be- fore this catastrophic divine judgment
descends upon a nation every echelon of spiritual and national life, including
the military establishment, degenerates. Both the Northern Kingdom of Israel
(721 B.C.) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (586 B.C.), destitute of spiritual
virtue and values, followed this road to ruin.
Non-client nations that disdain the
laws of divine establishment also suffer devastating divine judgment. The
Assyrians gradually deteriorated over thirty years before their capital,
Nineveh, fell in 612 B.C. Chaldea, in the process of decay since the death of
Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B.C., was easily subdued by the Persians in 539 B.C.
Thus, when any nation’s armed forces are neglected, demoralized, and unprepared
to wage war, that nation is in grave danger of losing a war and forfeiting the
autonomy and freedom of its people.
Athens and Carthage reflect the
tragedy of freedom lost on the battlefield. After a generation of conflict
besieged and starving Athenians surrendered to a cruel and deceitful Sparta in
404 B.C., ending the Peloponnesian War. Athens was shorn of its empire and the
sun set over the glory of Greece. Carthage was utterly destroyed in the Third
Punic War (149-146 B.C.): Every building was burned to the ground, the site
sown with salt to render farming futile, and all remaining territories were
confiscated by Rome.[21]
The wars of Napoleon, from the
Italian campaign to the battle at Austerlitz (1795-1805), depict the value of
preparedness. The Grande Armee was the most formidable fighting force in
Europe. With the borders of France secure from invasion the cowed nations on
the continent lost all desire to challenge French ascendancy. These early
campaigns of the Napoleonic era demonstrate the principle that the superior
army obtains and maintains freedom and autonomy for its nation.
The German conquest of Norway in
World War II
offers another illustration. Vidkun Quisling, whose infamous name became
synonymous with traitor, undermined the military’s effectiveness and will to
fight. The Nazis needed only a few battalions to subjugate all Norway.
Consequently, the country suffered the horrors of Nazi occupation for the rest
of the war.
Throughout the history of the United
States our army has traditionally been ill-equipped to wage war. Only after we
experienced appalling casualties did our national spirit arise to mobilize a
magnificent army to meet an enemy on two fronts in World War II. That army crossed the
Rhine and liberated Europe in 1945; that army amphibiously assaulted countless
Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. Had that army with its massive power and
efficiency remained under arms as a deterrent to communist aggression, there
might not have been a Korean War, a Cuban crisis, or a Vietnam. The United States
might have realized a Pax Americana, a tranquil period akin to the Pax Romana,
“Roman peace,” the longest duration of peace and prosperity in world history.[22]
How ironic that something so cruel
and brutal as warfare should be the means for preserving freedom and peace, but
armies both defend and destroy freedom. Violence is justified as the sole
deterrent against violent aggression, If the army of a free nation deters or
prevails over an aggressor, freedom is perpetuated and peace reigns.
Military Failure Manifests National Degeneracy
Failure on the battlefield often
reflects a general lack of self-discipline, lack of respect for authority, lack
of courage, and lack of spiritual and establishment incentives among the
leaders and people of a nation. Again, Zedekiah and the populace of Judah
illustrate this point (2 Chron. 36:11-21; Jer. 34:8-11). Zedekiah had no regard
for the spiritual authority of the prophet Jeremiah or for the governmental
authority of his suzerain, Nebuchadnezzar. The people of Judah had also turned
away from the Lord, especially in their violation of Deuteronomy 15:12 (cf.
Jer. 34:12-16). When the nation denied and flaunted the Word and warnings of
God as proclaimed by Jeremiah, the justice of the Lord severely punished Judah for
their rampant evil (Jer. 5:15-17, 21-22; cf. Ps. 1 19:75; Prov. 3:12; Heb.
12:6). The Jewish defeat of 587-586 B.C. can be directly attributed to the
spiritual and moral decline of the king and disobedience among his subjects. A
dearth of self-discipline, rejection of authority, and spiritual decay are
primary ingredients for military defeat on the battlefield and destruction of
personal freedom and national independence.
Only God’s grace can deliver a
nation in the eleventh hour. Such a deliverance demands the spiritual solution:
a resurgence of Bible doctrine resident and functioning in the souls of
believers to counteract degeneracy. This does not mean that believers should
lay down their arms and look piously heavenward in pseudo-spiritual entreaty. Christians
in a client nation operating on doctrine will never disregard the importance of
the military in preserving freedom. They will heed the biblical exhortations
that a nation must maintain a strong defense force. Thank God for mature
believers and dedicated professional soldiers who persevere in their
convictions despite personal pressure, political animosity, and antimilitary
sentiment.
Universal Military Training
Success on the battlefield so
crucial for national survival requires military training (Num. 31:3-5).
Therefore, a maximum number of men in each generation must be comprehensively
instructed, instilled with individual and group discipline, team coordination,
technical skills, tactical and strategical proficiency. Such intensive training
is necessary to develop every soldier’s ability to act under the stress of
combat. Accomplishing this task demands a faculty of professional officers
skilled in the art of war.
“Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in
battle, will not first sit down and take counsel [with his military staff]
whether he is strong [well trained] enough with ten thousand men to encounter
the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:31)
Initially, the Jewish client nation subscribed
to the concept of universal military training (Num. l:3ff.).
Only
in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those
who had not experienced it formerly. (Judges 3:2)
This verse directs that the nation
“be taught” how to fight. Wars cannot be won with untrained soldiers. The
obligation of a nation dedicated to preserving its sovereignty is to instruct
every generation of young men for war. With the passing years, however, Israel
lapsed into spiritual decay, idolatry, and moral relativism (Judges 2:11-23;
cf., 17:6), ignoring the army until it virtually ceased to exist and suffering
the consequences of military defeat.
A nucleus of professional soldiers,
expert in their specialized field, must be perpetuated to school new recruits.
Who should serve? The Scripture delineates certain qualifications. War is for
adults. In Numbers 1:2-3 and 26:4 God instructed Moses to draft all suitable
males twenty years and over for the Israelite army. This establishes the biblical
standard for draftees. Several exceptions were noted.
“When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with
the army, nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and
shall give happiness [samach} to his wife whom he has taken.” (Dent. 24:5)
A newly married man should not go to
war for the most obvious reason: He cannot concentrate on making war. At this
point in life his responsibility is exclusively to “give happiness to his
wife.” Therefore, “he shall be free [to remain] at home one year.” The verb
“give happiness,” the piel imperative of samach,
means “to cause his wife to be happy” — to lavish her with undivided attention,
engage her in conversation, and make love to her for a year. This initial year
of respite and intense concentration on mutual fulfillment christens and bonds
the relationship for wonderful years ahead.
‘The officers also shall speak to the people, saying,
*Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? [He has a
new wife and a new house.] Let him depart and return to his house, lest he die
in the battle and another man dedicate it.’” (Dent. 20:5)
A man consumed with love is not
focused on military matters. His mental attitude is not conducive to either
moral or battle courage. Quite naturally, his beloved bride and his new house
captivate his attention. Preoccupied and self-absorbed be would not be an
effective part of a combat team. He could easily become a casualty or cause
others to become casualties.
“And who is the man that has planted a vineyard [started
a new business] and has not begun to use its fruit? [He has not secured the
first year’s profits.] Let him depart and return to his house, lest he die in
the battle and another man begin to use its fruit.” (Deut. 20:6)
A new business also distracts a man
from military service. While concentrating on his personal responsibilities, he
could not function efficiently as a member of a combat team.
“And who is the man that is engaged to a woman and has
not married her? Let him depart and return to his house, lest he die in the
battle and another man marry her.” (Deut. 20:7)
A man on the brink of matrimony is,
likewise, preoccupied, unable to concentrate in a combat situation. He should
be released from military duty as undependable and unstable for the pressure of
combat.
‘Then the officers shall speak further to the people, and
they shall say, ‘Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted [a coward]? Let
him depart and return to his house, so that he might not make his brothers’
hearts melt like his heart.’” (Deut. 20:8)
The Mosaic Law directed that
officers in command of the army determine whether a man was qualified to be a
soldier after he had completed basic training. Cowards in the ranks were
discharged. In a combat situation cowardice in a few men can infect an entire
unit with unreasoning fear. “Fainthearted” recruits had to be discharged to
maintain the morale, effectiveness, and safety of those troops going into
battle.
How blessed [’ashere] are the people who know the sound
[of the trumpet — answering the call of military training]! O Lord, they walk
[march and advance] in the light [Word of God] of Thy countenance. (Ps. 89:15)
Great blessing characterizes the nation
that continues to respond to the call of the military bugle. The plural of the
Hebrew noun esher, “blessed,” has a
twofold connotation. First, universal military training raises the quality of
young men in any generation. Soldiers learn self-discipline, team discipline,
respect for authority, polish and poise so necessary in life. Whether the
training is used in combat or not, the discipline, authority orientation, and
motivation learned from military instruction are invaluable for any personal
endeavor and for the stability of the nation in war and peace. Second, when the
quality of the men improve, women and children are blessed by association.
Eligible men must be continually trained and molded into a well- motivated,
well-disciplined fighting force ready for war.
DISCIPLINE AND TRAINING ARE OBLIGATORY FOR EFFECTIVE
MILITARY OPERATIONS. The discipline of military training is the dividing line between
victory and defeat — the iron in the blood of the soldier that sustains him
through every adverse circumstance of warfare. Discipline and training keep
fatigued and hungry troops on their feet and fighting. Discipline and training
make bold strategy and timely tactics feasible. A military machine runs on the
fuel of discipline and the mechanics of training.
The history of warfare does not give
the nod to the heaviest battalions but to the best-disciplined and trained
battalions. Relying on iron discipline Epaminondas with his few Thebians
successfully attacked the mighty Spartan phalanxes on the field of Leuctra (371
B.C.). The steadfast regimen of the Roman Legions under the able leadership of
Julius Caesar conquered Gaul (58-50 B.C.). A handful of well-schooled Swedes
under Gustavus Adolphus vanquished Germany in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648).
The disciplined drill of the army of Frederick the Great brought Prussia to the
forefront of eighteenth century Europe. The disciplined and unbroken British
squares at Waterloo shattered Napoleon’s Imperial Army (1815). Without
discipline and training no military force can hope for success on the field of
battle.
If the manpower of a nation is
degenerate and corrupt, crippled by anti-authority attitudes, military training
is ineffective. When a nation becomes decadent, it no longer has the means or
will to defend itself. The law of volitional responsibility and divine
discipline prescribe military defeat[23] the
harbinger
of the “fifth cycle of discipline” to a client nation — death, slavery, and
dispersion. Not only were the Jews defeated but the Assyrians, Chaldeans,
Persians, and Romans were ultimately conquered as their military prowess
eroded.
The Jews of the Exodus illustrate
the importance of military training. Few men in Israel had military experience
during the generations of Egyptian bondage. Moses, Caleb, and Joshua were
notable exceptions. When the migrating nation faced combat for the first time
(Ex. 17:8-13), Moses ordered Joshua to “choose men for us, and go out, fight
against Amalek” (v. 9b). Moses’ directive implies that Joshua had formed a cadre
to train the Israelites for war during their desert sojourn. Now, Joshua as the
commanding general must select those men best prepared to fight. With spiritual
encouragement from Moses and training instilled by Joshua the valiant Israelite
troops achieved victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim. Schooling in tactics
and weaponry was instrumental in preserving the independence of the fledgling
nation.
Leadership and Personal Integrity are Essential
During training soldiers come to
respect unit leaders and adopt their beliefs about how to fight. They also
embrace their leader’s professional values of loyalty, responsibility, and
selfless service. These shared beliefs and values become norms and standards
that influence discipline, cohesiveness, and the will to fight.[24]
Military history clearly shows that
troops should be trained in tactics and the use of weapons and indoctrinated
with essential character traits vital to performance as a soldier: courage,
competence, candor, and commitment. These qualities that leadership inculcates
by instruction and by example will vastly increase the chances of a unit’s
effectiveness in crisis situations.
Throughout the course of world
history certain nations cultivate excellent military leadership; other nations
compile a record of poor military leadership but exhibit a citizenry with
exceptional discipline and character. From the time of Frederick William of
Prussia, the Great Elector, through World War 1 (1620-1918) the German army
generally exhibited excellent leadership. The officer corps demonstrated
phenomenal discipline and intellectual acumen. In the British army junior
officers and enlisted men who displayed character, discipline, and fortitude
often managed to ‘muddle through’ the mistakes of their senior commanders. But
the principle for military success remains the same. The preservation of
freedom depends on the caliber of leadership as well as the discipline
displayed by the civilian population, especially those who become soldiers.
Prepare [military] plans’ by consultation, And make war
by wise guidance [of leadership]. (Prov. 20:18)
Warfare is planned and executed
through professional expertise and the astute decisions of leadership.
Therefore, the United States must continue to develop military leaders; to
cultivate men who can formulate strategic and tactical plans, who can give wise
counsel to civilian leaders, who can make war effectively.
Regardless of technical advances,
the human element still predominates over the tide of battle. The decisions and
actions of individuals remain the fundamental instrument of war. The most
indispensable ingredient in preparing and maintaining this human element is
leadership, whose requisite integrity results from building certain
fundamentals of character.
1.
Maturity — the ability to make wise decisions based on reason and moral
principle;
2.
Will — the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of seemingly
insurmountable obstacles;
3.
Self-discipline — doing your duty regardless of fatigue or other factors;
4.
Flexibility — making timely and appropriate changes in thinking, plans, or
methods when you see a better way;
5.
Confidence — the assurance to be successful in all endeavors;
6.
Endurance — mental, spiritual, and physical stamina;
7.
Decisiveness — sound judgment in making good decisions at the proper time;
8.
Poise under stress — confident control of emotions under adverse conditions;
9.
Initiative — the ability to take action without waiting for orders or
supervision;
10.
Justice — the fair treatment of all people regardless of race, religion, color,
gender, age, or national origin;
11.
Self-improvement — the readiness to read, study, seek challenges, and work to
strengthen beliefs, values, ethics, knowledge, and skills;
12.
Assertiveness — taking charge when necessary;
13.
Compassion — sensitivity to the feelings, values, interests, and well- being of
others;
14.
Sense of humor — not taking yourself too seriously;
15.
Creativity — thinking of innovative and better ideas, programs, and solutions
to problems;
16.
Bearing — posture, overall appearance, and manner of physical movement;
17.
Humility — teachability; correcting weaknesses or imperfections in your
character, knowledge, and skills.[25]
A well-schooled army develops
proficient commanders from top to bottom. Competent leadership can attain
victory; inept leadership can spell defeat. Bible doctrine in the soul develops
and perpetuates the traits of superb leadership.
A progressively feeble military and
the subsequent threat to freedom begin with apostasy in the souls of believers.
Abandonment of God’s truth eroded the spiritual life of the Israelites in the
days of the Judges. With spiritual apostasy came a failure to learn the art of
war. As a result, the Jews repeatedly became enslaved to other nations.
New [false] gods [apostasy] were
chosen [by their own volition];
Then war was in the gates.
Not a shield or a spear was seen
Among forty thousand in Israel.
(Judges 5:8)
Confronted with conflict, why was
Israel not armed for war? Because the military had deteriorated as a result of
spiritual desertion. Apostasy always decimates divine viewpoint and the divine
establishment attitude of believers.
Your men will fall by the sword
[death in combat],
And your mighty ones in battle.
And her gates will lament and mourn;
And deserted she will sit on the
ground. (Isa. 3:25-26)
The result of apostasy is divine
discipline in the form of military disaster. Women grieve because husbands,
brothers, and sons perish in battle. Cities lie destitute. The civilian
populace suffers intensely — women especially are in agony, at the mercy of a
rapacious conquering army (Isa. 3:17-24).
“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the
earth that He may strongly support those whose heart [right lobe of the mature
believer] is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this [apostasy].
Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars [divine discipline].” (2 Chron. 16:9)
God is on constant reconnaissance to
protect and preserve believers operating on divine viewpoint. When enough
mature believers exist in a national entity, God also protects and preserves the
nation. Believers of a client nation who reject doctrine “will surely have
wars” and be defeated. How
does a believer acquire God’s viewpoint? Every believer possesses the spiritual
apparatus I call Operation Z for learning, understanding, and applying Bible
doctrine. Operation Z is empowered by means of the filling of the Holy Spirit,
acquired at salvation and maintained through the rebound technique (1 John
1:9), in conjunction with the human spirit (1 Cor. 2:11-12; cf., Heb. 4:12),
also acquired at regeneration. Initially, Bible doctrine is communicated by a
pastor-teacher to the human spirit through the teaching ministry of the Holy
Spirit (John 16:13). This spiritual phenomena, (pneumatikos in the Greek of 1 Cor. 2:13), transfers from the human
spirit to the left lobe (nous) or
staging area of the soul as academic knowledge, (gnosis).
At this point, volition must be
exercised. If the doctrine in the left lobe is believed, then the Holy Spirit
transfers that doctrine into the right lobe of the soul. As a result of this
spiritual metabolism,[26] doctrine resides in the
right lobe and becomes epignosis or
“full knowledge” (Eph. 3:19). Only epignosis
doctrine has spiritual value and can be applied to the circumstances of life.
New norms and standards form as a result of this divine viewpoint.
The right lobe is the key to divine
viewpoint, discernment, application of doctrine to experience, and divine
wisdom that preserve a nation (Isa. 33:6). No believer can glorify God or be
the salt that preserves a nation (Matt. 5:13) apart from Bible doctrine
metabolized and resident in the right lobe of the soul.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we
have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the
(epignosis) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so
that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all
respects, bearing fruit in every [divine] good work and increasing in the
(epignosis) knowledge of God. (Col. 1:9-10)
The will of God is contained in
Bible doctrine, but the full knowledge of His will can only be realized through
the daily function of Operation Z.
Mature believers who possess divine
viewpoint from metabolized doctrine can reverse the decline of a client nation.
Such believers held back the destruction of Judah during the Sennacherib
invasion (701 B.C.). Isaiah had been teaching Bible classes for a year before
the Assyrians attacked Judah. Those who matured under Isaiah’s ministry manned
the ramparts, unafraid of Assyrian threats (Isa. 36:20-21). God honored their
faith and confounded the most powerful empire of the day (Isa. 37:36-37).
The same is true for believers in
any era of history. A few believers with doctrine in the early Church turned
the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Likewise, believers who consistently utilize
Operation Z remain the only hope to counter the continuing decline of the
United States of America. Christians carry in their soul a bastion against
every threat to a client nation.
THE
DIVINE SOLUTIONS
The faithfulness of a nation to the
laws of divine establishment and the dedication of believers to Bible doctrine
are the divine solutions that guarantee freedom in an ominous and belligerent
world. Throughout history nations sign and ratify treaties to maintain peace
and freedom; but alliances never guarantee an end to hostility. Treaties are
only as good as the integrity of the nations that sign the pact. Neither can
any international organization underwrite freedom nor peace anywhere in the
world. Why? The fundamental depravity of the human race since the fall of Adam
prevents the abolition of war.
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts [wars] among
you? Is not the source your pleasures [the activity of the sin nature] that wage
war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you
are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. (James 4;1-2a)
The antagonist is the sin nature;
the culprit is man’s volition. Since man never loses the sin nature during his
lifetime and continues to make unwise or wicked decisions (1 John 1:8, 10),
conflict will continue until the Lord returns. The solution begins with the
spiritual life of the believer and adherence to establishment principles by the
unbeliever.
Spiritual Life and Establishment Laws
God in His grace has appointed two
restraints for the sin nature to guarantee the survival of the human race,
promote the progress of history, and secure God’s final victory in the angelic
conflict at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The first restraint is spiritual
regeneration and the spiritual life.
“Unless
one is born again [regenerated], he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John
3:3b)
Neither rationalism, empiricism, the
intellectual prowess of mankind, nor good works can bring humanity into the
presence of the living God. Mankind cannot solve the problem of sin or earn
eternal life. There is no human solution, only the divine solution — faith
alone in Jesus Christ alone. He is God’s eternal Son who died as a substitute
for our sins and rose from the dead for our justification (Rom. 4:25; 5:8, 18).
For no man can lay a foundation
other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3:11)
Man’s foundation of wealth, intellect,
and power is temporary and insecure; God’s foundation, the rock Jesus Christ,
is abiding, immovable, ageless. The attacks of intellectualism will not crumble
this foundation; the acid of ridicule will not dissolve this foundation; God’s
judgment against sin and national degeneracy will not fall upon this
foundation.
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no
other name [Jesus Christ} under heaven that has been given among men, by which
we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“Believe
in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:316)
After regeneration, the believer
must allow the Holy Spirit to control his life (Gal. 5:16). Only in the power
of the Spirit can the believer grow (2 Pet. 3:18), serve, and glorify God. The
Holy Spirit fills the believer (Eph. 5:18) to provide the dynamics for living
the spiritual life and to nullify the control of the sin nature.
The second restraint of the sin
nature is the laws of divine establishment including government that supports:
1. a strong and resolute military
with a grand strategy to protect freedom from enemies outside the nation;
2. vigorous law enforcement and
objective jurisprudence to protect freedom from enemies inside the nation.
The sin nature is not only the
source of war, but also the source of crime. Both war and crime have been
scourges to mankind through the ages. God ordained the military for protection
from external aggression and law for protection from internal aggression. The
stability of a nation depends on a powerful and proficient military
organization, a fair and objective body of laws, and impartial, uncompromising
enforcement of those laws.
Both the military and law
enforcement share one common goal: defeat the enemy, both foreign and domestic.
The military must deter or crush the foreign enemy while the judicial system
must deter, incarcerate or execute the criminal (Ex. 21:23; cf., Rom. 13:4).
Only then can the specter of tyranny and anarchy be dissipated and peace and
freedom be assured.
When flawed leadership and
subjective interpretation of law neutralize the effectiveness of the military
and law enforcement, the probability of war intensifies and the crime rate
soars. The nation is victimized when the military is neglected, despised,
ineffective; honest citizens are victimized by criminals. The duty of divinely
ordained government is to secure freedom by promoting a strong defense against
all enemies.
The laws of divine establishment are
designed to protect citizens, to protect property, and to give equal
opportunity for all to pursue a course in life. Freedom provides the
environment to succeed or to fail based on one’s own motivation, decisions, and
capabilities. Decisions and actions precipitate a diversity of results. No two
people succeed to the same degree, and no two equally fail. Hence, the
blessings of freedom guarantee inequality among people. Those in governing
authority must support equality of opportunity to flourish or falter, but never
coerce equality of results.
Equality is unattainable for human
beings apart from faith in Jesus Christ. At the moment of salvation all
believers share an equal position and destiny in Christ. The Savior also
secures equal opportunity by providing equal assets for spiritual advance
during the lifetime of the believer and an eternal future in heaven.
God always gives the human race a
‘fair shake’ in every generation. No one reaches the age of accountability
without having the opportunity to be saved.[27] The realization of our
insignificance compared to the absolute power and righteousness of the Creator
of the universe is the point of God- consciousness. Sooner or later, all normal
members of the human race reach this point. At that time, a person will be
either positive or negative toward God. Should anyone seek the truth and desire
a relationship with God, He has promised to provide the information and
opportunity to hear the Gospel (Acts 8:26-34). Anytime an unbeliever desires
the truth, that person will be ex- posed to the Gospel message. Because of the
grace of God in providing salvation through Jesus Christ to anyone who seeks
the Savior, there are countless people in heaven. Because of the laws of divine
establishment, the human race has been perpetuated so that people may exercise
freedom to make the decision to believe in Jesus Christ.
Whereas in the past, patriotism,
morality, and individual sacrifice characterized the American way of life,
today such qualities are exceptions rather than the rule. Multitudes of people
refuse to assume the responsibilities of citizenship in a free nation.
Influenced by relativism and secularism they have no clearly defined objectives
other than instant gratification and self-aggrandizement. Successive
generations of Americans are progressively abandoning the principles which
established and preserved this nation. In this fertile soil of unrealistic
expectations, spiritual and moral decline, and lack of a personal and national
destiny are sown the seeds of disaster and slavery.
Listen to the word of the Lord, 0 sons
of Israel,
For the Lord has a case against the
inhabitants of the land,
Because there is no faithfulness
[truth] or kindness [loyalty]
Or knowledge of God in the land.
There
is swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and adultery.
They employ violence [crime], so
that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Therefore the land mourns,
And everyone who lives in it
languishes. (Hosea 4:l-3a)
We have seen that freedom cannot
survive spiritual and moral decline that devalue and deteriorate the national defense.
When degeneracy and decay weaken the undergirding of virtue and integrity, God
is neglected, freedom is taken for granted, and the military is ridiculed and
despised.
God
and the soldier we adore
In
time of danger — not before
The
danger past and all things sighted
God
is forgotten and the soldier slighted.[28]
Despite scorn from those who are
recipients of freedom courtesy of the military, the profession of arms is
honorable before God and all who understand the principles of divine establishment.
The soldier may be unappreciated or even detested by those he is called upon to
defend, yet his duty to God and country remains. Through the fog of national
confusion and decadence there shines in the souls of a dedicated few the lucid
light of Bible doctrine and the common sense of divine establishment.
Part Two
TO THE SOLDIER
THE
CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
Can a believer in Jesus Christ serve
his country as a soldier, kill the enemy, and at the same time be a good Christian?
Can a believer justify being a conscientious objector? Did God contradict
Himself in the commandments, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13) and “You shall
defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them [annihilate every man, woman,
and child]” (Deut. 7:2b)?
Before these questions can be
resolved, we must first remember that two kingdoms coexist on earth today: the
spiritual kingdom of believers in Jesus Christ, the Church, and the earthly
kingdom of believers and unbelievers, citizens of a national entity, the state.
The Scripture categorizes spiritual principles for Christ’s kingdom and divine
establishment principles for the earthly kingdom. The Lord Himself confirmed
the existence of these two realms and the responsibility of the believer to fulfill
his duty to both when He said,
Render to Caesar [earthly kingdom] the things that are
Caesar’s; and to God [spiritual kingdom] the things that are God’s. (Matt. 22:21b)
The believer’s duties to the state
are compatible with his duties to God. Both realms are to be coordinated but
never combined. The preeminent responsibility of the Christian is to God: Study
His Word, learn promises, techniques, and doctrines, grow spiritually (2 Pet.
3:18), worship, witness, pray. Only then can the believer render “to God the
things that are God’s.” Yet, the believer also has a responsibility to the
state as a citizen — to obey the law, vote, pay taxes, heed the call of jury
duty, serve in the government, and as a soldier defend the nation against
foreign aggression. This merging of civic and military responsibility is
eloquently expressed in “The American’s Creed.”
I believe in the United States of
America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose
just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a
Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and
inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice
and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I
therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its
Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against
all enemies.[29]
In accepting a commission on 29 May
1940 as a second lieutenant in the United States Army I took an oath — the same
one that every officer in the military has taken since the inception of our
armed forces.
I do solemnly swear that I will
support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies,
foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same,
that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of
evasion: and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office
upon which I am about to enter: so help me God.
This affirmation has in no way
conflicted with my obligation to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have, therefore,
never deviated from my responsibility. I believe as strongly in the tenets of
this oath today as I did in 1940. I do not think any Christian should repudiate
the duty of defending his country. A believer’s spiritual responsibility to
serve the Lord is never an excuse to shirk his civil or military responsibility
to serve his nation.
The particulars of soldiering —
close order drill, weapons instruction, tactical coordination, leadership
training, learning how to fight — are all skills to be mastered. God sanctions
military training (Ps. 18:34, 37-40). But no biblical support or divine
approval exists for the conscientious objector. Believers who avoid military
service are not only carnal but can bring the wrath of God on the entire nation
(Num. 32:6-15).
“But if you will not do so [not go to war], behold, you
have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin [of cowardice] will find you
out [personal and national repercussions].” (Num. 32:23)
Confusion among Christians about
fighting for freedom originates from ignorance of divine viewpoint and
ignorance of history. The Bible cites numerous instances of national freedom
and autonomy gained and maintained by the military victories of Israel
verifying that war is morally justifiable. Though immoral acts may be committed
by individual soldiers, the underlying principle of national defense is not
negated. Killing the enemy in combat is not sinful. “You shall not murder” (lo tirtzach) refers only to the criminal act of homicide, not taking the life of enemy
soldiers in legitimate warfare.
Then Jesus said to him [Peter], “Put your sword back into
its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” (Matt. 26:52)
This verse is often mistaken as an
antiwar declaration. But the context in which Jesus spoke was not at all
related to military activities. Taking up the sword refers to the crime of
homicide; perishing by the sword refers to capital punishment for that
homicide. Consequently, this statement of our Lord does not justify or permit
conscientious objection to military service.
Blessed
be the Lord, my rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle. (Ps. 144:1, a Psalm of
David)
David, the magnificent warrior king
of Israel, began life as a shepherd, untrained for war. In this serene
isolation he grew to spiritual maturity. Then came the opportunity to exhibit
his spiritual adulthood as he observed Israel’s army cowering in the presence
of Goliath, the Philistine giant. With courage forged from absolute confidence
in the Lord David killed the arrogant challenger in single combat. Only later
did he learn the art of war from God (2 Sam. 22:35). When war is legitimate,
killing is necessary (2 Sam. 22:40-41); when it is not legitimate, then killing
becomes homicide.[30] God never teaches or
condones murder.
Part of the Christian serviceman’s
witness is to be the best possible soldier as unto the Lord, including killing
the enemy in combat. Many Christians served the Roman Empire in Caesar’s
legions while also serving as witnesses for Jesus Christ to their fellow
soldiers and the nation. A dramatic incident occurred in A.D. 174 when a Roman
detachment including the VIth legion, known as the “Thunderbolts,” was ambushed
by barbarians. The Romans were surrounded, cut off, wounded, and tortured by
thirst. The barbarians held off the final assault thinking that the exhausted
legion would surrender. Suddenly a thunderstorm burst over the field. Catching
the rain in their shields and helmets the Roman legionaries revived themselves
and their horses. Revitalized, they routed the enemy.
It happened that the legion [VIth]
in question, which came from Cappadocia, was composed of Christians. This is
the first mention we have of Christian soldiers being victorious as such. . . .
That it was really due to the constancy of the Christians, who, as so often,
were ready to face death rather than betray their faith and loyalty be it to
Caesar or to Christ, is the underlying truth of the matter. . . . The incident
itself made such an impression that it is represented on Marcus” column in
Rome.[31]
None could doubt the loyalty and
steadfastness of these soldiers serving Christ and Caesar. They made a
conspicuous contribution for the cause of their Savior, as well as for the
cause of their country. A Christian should also be a patriot!
The Honorable Military
For half a century I have taught the
concept of freedom through military victory. Why? To reveal the biblical
viewpoint on warfare and to encourage those who serve to appreciate the
honorable nature of their calling. Each individual entering the military
willingly sacrifices personal independence and submits to a strict system of
discipline while preparing to defend the freedom of his countrymen. This
service may culminate in the ultimate sacrifice of his life. The nobility of
this dedication conveys the utmost in honor.
Any national crisis that involves
American troops serves as a reminder that military service is indispensable, as
well as bona fide Christian service. God’s plan calls for believers with
doctrine in their soul to defend the four divine institutions. Those who wear
the uniform of the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force, or the
Coast Guard represent the principle of sustaining freedom through military
victory.
PROTECTION
FOR THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
Since military service is honorable
before the Lord, God protects those He honors. Omnipotent God is able to
safeguard the believer even in a perilous battlefield environment. The
Christian warrior must trust in ‘the Mighty Fortress,’ Jesus Christ, and make
the Lord of hosts his “stronghold.”
The
nations made an uproar [went to war], the kingdoms tottered;
He [the Lord] raised His voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts [the armies] is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought
desolations in the earth. (Ps. 46:6-8)
When the psalmist urges, “Come,
behold the works of the Lord,” he is instructing believing soldiers of a client
nation to watch the Lord’s preserving grace sustain them in time of war. Jesus Christ
controls every aspect of history including warfare. What a secure bulwark is
the Lord of the armies who “is with” believers in action. If He imposes
“desolations in the earth,” He can quite easily guide the destiny of those in
the life and death conditions of combat.
He
makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire. (Ps. 46:9)
Cast
your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
But Thou, 0 God, wilt bring them down to the pit of
destruction;
Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their
days.
But I will trust in Thee. (Ps. 55:22-23)
Who [believers] are protected by the power of God through
faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Pet. 1:5)
God promises judgment on any hostile
nation that draws a sword against a client nation and rescue for the nation
that observes the laws of divine establishment and has a pivot of mature
believers. Likewise, God promises to care for the believer through the ordeal
of warfare. The individual believer must trust in the deliverance of the Lord,
a faith that is never misplaced.
One unfailing weapon possessed by
the Christian warrior is prayer — the prayer for protection.
Rescue
me, 0 Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually stir up wars. (Ps. 140:1-2)
In modem warfare a successful
tactical operation is prefaced with a barrage of artillery. When artillery fire
pins down, disorganizes, confuses, or routs the enemy, casualties are minimized
and battles are won. One of the greatest weaknesses of the Church today is the
lack of a prayer barrage — prevailing prayer. Prayer is every believer’s means
of direct petition to God the Father for logistical and fire support in the
advance of the Christian life. We are commanded to “pray without ceasing” (1
Thess. 5:17) — to pray consistently. I stand as a recruiting officer looking
for faithful prayer warriors to enlist in the Lord’s Artillery. In the privacy
of our royal priesthood pray for those encountering combat pressure.
Our gracious Heavenly Father, we
pray for our men and women who are on active duty. Many of them are in places
of great danger and we recognize the fact that they have a testimony for You
and the most wonderful opportunity to apply doctrine and become stalwart
Christian warriors. We not only pray for them but also for those many, many
more who will be called to the colors. We ask that they might fulfill the very
purpose for which they have been graced out all of these years in learning and
using Bible doctrine. We pray that we might be faithful on our part in the
perception of doctrine so that we can become part of the pivot that will
inevitably result in victory for our nation.
We are grateful. Heavenly Father,
that we live in a time that there is such a challenge — not just a military
challenge but a challenge to face so many different kinds of adversities; a
challenge related to the fact that client nation USA is under fire in so many
ways. We pray that through all the confusion that is going to exist in the
future, through all the adversities that will come our way, that we will
glorify Thee so that in Thy perfect will and in Thy perfect plan when each one
of us is called home, we might hear that wonderful phrase: “Well done, good and
faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things. “ We ask all this in the name of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Amen.[32]
THE
VIRTUE OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
The soldier who concentrates on his
duty under the pressure of combat will manifest the fortitude and resourcefulness
necessary to accomplish his mission and survive. The Christian warrior who
concentrates on the promises and doctrines of the Word of God gains absolute
confidence in God’s everlasting care (Matt. 6:25-27; 1 Pet. 5:7), shows his
mettle, endures adversity, and se- cures deliverance. In life and in death the
Lord always delivers (Phil. 1:21). Consequently, valor requires concentration
on the Lord Jesus Christ as demonstrated in the mandate from the Mosaic Law to
never fear a numerically superior enemy.
“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see
horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of
them; for the Lord your God [Jesus Christ), who brought you up from the land of
Egypt, is with you.” (Dent. 20:1)
Deuteronomy 20:1 was addressed to
the client nation Israel. The Jewish infantry was the finest in the world but
Israel did not possess cavalry or a chariot corps. What was the mandate from
God to the out-manned, under-equipped Jews? “Do not be afraid of them.” The
Lord exhorted these Jews to concentrate on Him, not on the enemy; to keep their
eyes on the solution, not on the problem. Remembering His faithfulness in a
past crisis inspires courage and assures deliverance in the present crisis. God
had brought them “up from the land of Egypt” and delivered them at the Red Sea
and He would deliver them now. In eternity past He made provision for all their
needs and problems. They must trust and concentrate on His resources.
Likewise, God makes the same provision
for every believer in client nation USA. As a soldier fighting for your country, remember
that this mandate and promise to Israel is a mandate and promise for you. God
is gracious and steadfast in delivering His people, whether in a nation of
confused, complaining, carnal believers like ancient Israel or like the United
States today. When a few magnificent Christian warriors hold the line for Bible
doctrine and divine establishment, God will honor those men and bless the
nation with victory.
“Now it shall come about that when you are approaching
the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people.” (Deut. 20:2)
At the time this verse was written
the armies of Israel were encouraged first by their national leader, Moses,
father of the first Jewish client nation, then by their spiritual leaders,
members of the Levitical priesthood. These priests delivered a message of
confidence and courage. Communicators of God’s Word have a spiritual
responsibility to instill moral and battle courage.
In the Church Age believers live in
the dispensation of a universal “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). You arc your
own priest. Your confidence and courage must originate from the metabolized
doctrine resident in your soul. The key to successful military action is
spiritual strength. I would expect believer- priests with doctrine in their
soul to approach a campaign with the same bravery summoned by the Levitical
priests.
“Hear,
0 Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be
fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord
your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies,
to save [deliver] you.” (Deut. 20:3b-4)
Today, instead of “Hear, 0 Israel,”
we would challenge our soldiers: “Hear, 0 Christian warrior, you will soon meet
the enemy in battle. Do not be afraid; do not panic; do not tremble before
them, for Jesus Christ is the one who accompanies you against the enemy, to
deliver you.” Obeying these three vital mandates instills courage in the
believer facing battle.
1. Do not be fainthearted; do not be afraid. Dread affects your will
and effectiveness to fight. During the War Between the States, the Union
General George McClellan allowed fear to cloud his mind in the heat of battle.
He would believe incorrectly that he
was vastly outnumbered, and he would withdraw. At these crucial moments in
history, his character failed to control his fears and keep his mind clear to
see and deal with reality.
When you faithfully metabolize and
apply the Word of God, you suppress anxiety. By controlling this heart-pounding
reaction you keep your thoughts and energy focused on doing your duty. Your
spiritual concentration rouses strength of character. You are able to stabilize
under pressure. Promises and doctrines from God’s Word replace fear and stress
with calm and poise (2 Tim. 1:7).
“Be strong and
courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the
one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Dent. 31:6)
This commission from God is directed
to you as a soldier. “Strong” refers to the power of the spiritual life derived
from metabolized doctrine; “courageous” refers to the expression of this
spiritual strength. “Be strong and courageous” is a mandate to possess and
display moral courage that originates from spiritual strength. Moral courage
overcomes any apprehensions you may have while doing what ought to be done.
Moral courage demands standing firm on convictions drawn from virtue and values
from metabolized doctrine resident in your soul.
“Do not be afraid” is a divine
mandate for battle courage — overcoming fears of bodily harm while doing your
duty. How? Spiritual strength generates not only moral courage but also battle
courage. This dual courage allows you to remember your training and operate
your weapon expertly during the adversity of combat. You do not morbidly dwell
on the possibility of personal injury or death.
2. Do not panic. The sudden emergence of irrational, emotional terror
paralyzes thought and action. Encouragement from doctrine quells this panic and
elicits battle courage. Tranquillity under pressure is the overt expression of
a courageous soul.
“The Lord your God is the one who
goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6b) is assurance
that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will never desert you in battle or anywhere
else. Panic vanishes in the confidence of His ever-present protection — He is
your ‘point man.’ This foremost position is the most dangerous when advancing
toward the enemy. The individual, the squad, the platoon, or the company in the
vanguard are first to meet the enemy and receive fire. In so doing they offer
early warning and protection for the main body of troops. Deuteronomy 31:8
clearly identifies the Lord as our point.
“And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you [as the
point]; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear,
or be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8)
3. Do not . . . tremble. Fear causes
debilitating physical reactions. Rising tension shakes a soldier like the
passage of a powerful electric current. But by fixing your thinking on divine
viewpoint, you alleviate the instinctual reactions of anxiety and fear and
insure the physical control of your body. The resulting battle courage may not
eliminate fear but allows you to put your training in action in spite of it.
With focus and fortitude from Bible doctrine you will recall your training and
execute your mission under adverse conditions.
Professionalism
Killing the enemy in battle is
neither immoral nor sinful (Deut. 20:12-13a). The believer, filled with the
Holy Spirit, motivated by metabolized doctrine in his soul, and obedient to the
orders of his superiors should calmly and efficiently plan and execute the
destruction of the enemy. When a soldier on the battlefield follows the
principles set down by Deuteronomy 20:3 and Psalm 144:1 and gains control of
his mind and body, he demonstrates personal responsibility and nobility of
character, symbolizes selfless service, and competently executes his duties; in
a word, he exhibits professionalism.
Professionalism demands recall and
application of the training that prepared your mind and body to function normally
in the abnormal circumstances of war. If you convert the outside pressure of
adversity into the inner pressure of stress in the soul, the mental application
of your training becomes impossible. Your power of execution comes from
spiritual strength. With doctrine circulating in your soul you have the grit to
concentrate under combat pressure.
Deuteronomy 20:3-4; 31:6, 8 should
be metabolized by every Christian warrior. If I were a chaplain, I would
address similar words to troops before they enter combat. Since I cannot be
with you to prompt concentration and courage, to comfort and encourage, I urge
you to saturate your soul with divine viewpoint from the unfailing, infallible
Word of God before you face the crisis. The Lord is your comfort and ever-present
help in time of trouble (Ps. 46:1). Bible doctrine steadies you under pressure
situations and instills motivation for a professional attitude of confidence
and calm resolution.
Though a host [an army] encamp
against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident. (Ps. 27:3)
Victory over
Fear — The Ten Problem-Solving Devices
The United States Army employs the
acronym FLOT,
Forward Line Of Troops, to designate front line units in the defense that will
encounter and do battle with the enemy. They deny the adversary access to
specific terrain for a specified time and slow, canalize, and defeat the
enemy’s major units’ God has provided for you a spiritual PLOT, a defense line in your soul
to meet and defeat the enemies of the spiritual life. The line consists of ten
combat units, problem-solving devices that reinforce and strengthen as you grow
to spiritual maturity. This battle line delivers victory in four intense
conflicts: the temptations of the sin nature, the pressure of stress in the
soul, the allure of false doctrine, and the tendency to trust in human
solutions. By deploying God’s defense system you guarantee ultimate triumph
against encroachment to your spiritual life.
The problem-solving devices are the
God-given means of accurate and correct application of doctrine to experience.
They prevent the inevitable outside pressures of adversity from overwhelming
your soul. Operation of these devices begins with your recovery from carnality.
Restored to fellowship with God your spiritual life is empowered for advance.
As you acquire epignosis knowledge,
you incorporate the problem-solving mechanics for leading a life of meaning,
purpose, definition, and fulfillment of God’s plan. Whether surrounded by
adversity or prosperity, you can solve every human problem by deploying the
appropriate combination of these ten devices.
1.
REBOUND. When your soul is
controlled by the sin nature, you are carnal and powerless to live the
spiritual life (Rom. 7:15-21). Rebound is the only solution to carnality and
the only problem-solving device that functions in a state of sin. How do you
recover from carnality? Simply name your personal sins privately to God the
Father.
If we confess [name] our [known] sins. He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our [known] sins and to cleanse [purify] us from all
[unknown or forgotten sins] unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
The mechanics of recovery from sin
are fourfold: (1) Name the sin to immediately receive complete divine
forgiveness and to reestablish the absolute status of spirituality, the control
of your soul by the Holy Spirit: (2) isolate the sin to stop any bitterness
(Heb. 12:15); (3) forget the sin so as not to re- claim guilt (Phil. 3:13); (4)
keep moving in the spiritual life (Phil. 3:14).
Remorse is not a prerequisite for
this recovery technique. Rebound purifies you from all unrighteousness,
restoring fellowship with God the Father so that you can resume living the
spiritual life. The only way you can employ the nine remaining problem-solving
devices or fulfill God’s plan for your life is through the ministry of the Holy
Spirit regained from rebound.
2. THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit empowers you to apply
Bible doctrine, execute God’s plan, become an invisible hero, and glorify God
by utilizing all the assets He has provided. Accordingly, you are mandated to
“be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:186). This filling that controls your soul
after rebound energizes the problem-solving devices and supports your
resistance to the temptations of the sin nature.
But I say, walk by [means of] the Spirit, and you will
not carry out the desire of the flesh [sin nature]. (Gal. 5:16)
In carnality, grieving and quenching
the Holy Spirit, your advance halts, you cannot grow spiritually, resist the
temptations from the lust patterns and trends of the sin nature, or use the
divine problem-solving devices. But from the filling of the Holy Spirit comes
the source of the spiritual life. Under His mentorship you can “walk by the
Spirit” — learn the Word of God (John 16:13) and apply Bible doctrine to
circumstances. The filling of the Holy Spirit converts the lowest human IQ into spiritual lQ. Every
believer now has equal opportunity and equal privilege to perceive and
understand Bible doctrine which forms and operates the eight remaining
problem-solving devices in the soul.
3. THE FAITH-REST DRILL. When you are so beset by
difficulties that you cannot think clearly, you must apply the most basic form
of doctrine, the promises of God. Promises urge you to cultivate a persistent
and habitual trust in God, which the Bible calls “perseverance” or patience
(Rom. 12:12). Patience means you are steadfast in believing God’s Word. When you are under pressure, adversity,
disaster, and have hit a dead end, you must cling to God’s
promises
until they become more real to you than your situation, experience, or
emotions. When faith in the promises permeates your soul, you can rest in the
tranquillity and contentment acquired from divine viewpoint.
A promise is a divine guarantee, a
capsule statement of doctrine, a solid rock upon which to anchor your mental
attitude. Promises express the essence and policy of God, provide instantaneous
perspective, and reduce complicated situations to their utmost simplicity.
Numerous promises in the Bible express the perpetual logistical support and
care of God and assure us of His unlimited ability to help in time of need.
The steps for using the faith-rest
drill are: (1) Claim a promise to stabilize your soul; (2) glean from that
promise a relevant doctrine or doctrinal rationale to apply; (3) reach a
doctrinal conclusion so that faith is in control of the situation. After
employing these three stages you gain immediate divine perspective for the
intense pressures of life. Your confidence increases as you use Bible doctrine
resident in your soul. Certain of God’s steadfastness and secure in His care,
you can genuinely rest, relax, and trust in Him for solutions.
Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he [Abraham] did
not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being
fully assured that what He had promised. He was able also to perform. (Rom. 4:20-21)
The faith-rest drill stabilizes your mentality, regains your
ability to think under pressure, keeps your emotions in perspective, and
reinforces your appreciation of the grace of God (Heb. 4:1-3a; 2 Pet. 1:3-4).
The mixing of faith with promises changes your outlook from one of self-
centered arrogance to authority orientation, dignity and poise, teachability,
objectivity, and professionalism. Claiming promises becomes an instant reaction
force to hold the PLOT line for a time. This faith is the foundation of humility and
spiritual strength to execute the plan of God.
4. GRACE ORIENTATION. Employing the faith-rest drill orients the
believer to the grace of God — the firm assurance that you will receive the
consideration, equity, and care of the Supreme Court of Heaven. Under- standing
His grace policy and how little you deserve the incredible bounty He provides,
motivates humility. Genuine humility in your soul is a system of thinking and a
way of life. As a system of thinking, humility is freedom from arrogance and human
viewpoint. As a way of life, humility is orientation to authority and to
objective reality. Genuine humility creates capacity for greater grace
blessings.
Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for
God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper
time. (1
Pet. 5:5b-6)
In humility you are teachable, your
thinking adapts to His grace procedures, you grow spiritually. You realize that
only the ability and power of God can meet your needs and provide answers and
solutions to the problems of life. Since you are constantly treated with
benevolence by the Lord, you begin to apply God’s charitable policy of
undeserved favor to yourself and others. You become increasingly sensitive to
and tolerant of the weaknesses of your fellow man (Eph. 4:31-32). This attitude
of grace orientation when linked with metabolizing Bible doctrine produces
Christian virtue.
5. DOCTRINAL ORIENTATION. “For as he thinks within himself, so he is”
(Prov. 23:7a).. The spiritual life is thinking divine viewpoint and then
applying that thinking to your circumstances. When you think with metabolized
doctrine, you operate with “the mind of Christ,” the only source of absolute
wisdom (1 Cor. 2:16). This orientation permits you to advance from applying the
basic promises of spiritual childhood to the complex doctrinal rationales in
spiritual adulthood. Doctrine is the glue that holds together all the
problem-solving devices on the PLOT line of the soul.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind [doctrinal orientation], that you may prove what
the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through
the grace [orientation] given to me I say to every man among you not to think
more highly of himself [humility] than he ought to think; but to think so as to
have sound judgment [divine viewpoint], as God has allotted to each a measure
of faith [standard of thinking from metabolized doctrine]. (Rom. 12:2-3)
Truth creates a mirror in the soul
in which you can accurately and objectively evaluate yourself and your
circumstances from divine viewpoint. When you are inculcated with doctrinal
norms and standards, you rely on the Lord, make good decisions, and resolve the
dilemmas of life God’s way.
The objective of the believer’s
spiritual life is the instilling of truth. But usable epignosis doctrine accumulates gradually in increments. Truth
builds upon truth. He must persist in learning “line on line . . . a little
here, a little there” (Isa. 28:10). Bit-by-bit the believer develops a frame of
reference for receiving and retaining ever more complex doctrines, thereby
unveiling the whole panorama of his magnificent spiritual life. This system
explains why the believer must faithfully listen to Bible teaching as a
consistent routine and emphasizes the value of repetition by the pastor. Bible
doctrine cannot be ab- sorbed and used through sporadic bursts of enthusiasm
but through tenacious reception, retention, and recall. The perception and
metabolism of Bible doctrine always result in faith, confidence in Christ, and
love of God (1 Cor. 13:13) to employ the problem-solving devices of spiritual
maturity.
6. A PERSONAL SENSE OF DESTINY. With confidence from metabolized
doctrine in the soul you begin to live in the light of an eternally secure
future. Your self-worth becomes inseparably united with Jesus Christ because
you eternally share in all that Christ has and is: His righteousness (2 Cor.
5:21), His election (Eph. 1:3-4), His sonship (Gal. 3:26), His priesthood (Heb.
10:10-14), His kingship (2 Tim. 2:11-12), His personal destiny (Rom. 8:30).
United with Christ and His destiny you can imitate Him, glorify Him, and you
will accompany Him at the Second Advent and rule with Him forever. You have
acquired the sense of your destiny.
From this realization you attain
spiritual self-esteem. With spiritual self-esteem you are able to address and
solve problems from the doctrine in your soul, not from the advice of others.
You develop the capacity for happiness, for understanding and benefiting from
divine blessing, for enduring suffering, for maintaining the momentum of your
spiritual life. Never before in history have all these privileges been extended
to believers.
For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for
himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the
Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. (Rom. 14:7-8)
Through grace and doctrinal
orientation you discern your personal potential in the plan of God. Adversity
fades in proximity to the spiritual self-esteem generated from a limitless
relationship with the Lord. This authenticated personal destiny weathers all
circumstances of adversity or prosperity. When you have a personal recognition
of the destiny you share in Christ and the enormity of your spiritual
endowment, awe and gratitude toward God animate your attitude.
7. PERSONAL LOVE FOR GOD THE FATHER. When you discover the perfect
essence and integrity of God and the remarkable spiritual assets He has given
you, your response of respect, admiration, and reverence fulfills the mandate
of Matthew 22:37. Personal love motivates you to conform to the object of your
appreciation by following His precedent of virtue and integrity. This
motivational virtue based on absolute confidence in the divine ability to care
for you supports and sustains momentum for problem-solving and courage in the
face of adversity, the same courage expressed in Deuteronomy 31:6,8.
But how do you love God when the
object of your worship and adoration is invisible (1 Pet. 1:8)? You see, know,
and love Him only through “truth,” Bible doctrine, and “spirit,” the filling of
the Holy Spirit (John 4:24). When your soul is inculcated with doctrine so that
you think His thoughts, share His viewpoint, and appreciate His perfect
integrity and matchless grace, you love God. As your capacity to love God
increases, you gain confidence that He directs even your problems for your
benefit.
And we know that God causes all things to work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His
purpose.
(Rom. 8:28.)
8. IMPERSONAL LOVE FOR ALL MANKIND. People are among the most severe
tests in life. Some of your associations may be thoroughly obnoxious or evil.
You want friendship, rapport, or intimacy with only a selected few. Even for
these loved ones and close companions a constant personal love is difficult to
maintain. There are always times when disappointment, incompatibility, or
hostility characterizes the most intimate of relationships. How much more
impossible it would be to cultivate personal love for the unattractive or
unlovable! How. then. can you obey the biblical command “to love your neighbor
as yourself’ (Rom. 13:9b)?
You can only love all people through
a mental attitude of impersonal love (Rom. 13:8-10). Impersonal love for the
entire human race does not require attraction, friendship, or even acquaintance
with the object of love. This unconditional love that flows out of the
integrity of the subject rather than the appeal of the object is the same love
that God bestows on all unbelievers (John 3:16; Eph. 5:1-2). God planned and
executed the salvation of unbelievers based on His perfect integrity. Such love
is not sentimental or emotional but virtue-dependent. When you acquire
spiritual self-esteem and develop personal love for God (1 John 4:21), you gain
the virtue necessary to express impersonal love toward everyone in your
periphery.
Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love
does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek
its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not
rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:4-7)
Impersonal love, derived from divine
virtue, takes precedence over the faults and flaws of people. When personal
love for God and impersonal love unite to form virtue-love, you will not be
encumbered by cruel intolerance, smoldering anger, judging, hatred, or other
mental attitude sins, and you will not be distracted by stress, pressure,
persecution. You will obey and imitate the Lord by repaying insults and
antagonism with compassion, kindness, patience, and humility (Col. 3:12-14; 1
Pet. 3:8-9).
9. SHARING THE HAPPINESS OF GOD. While suffering the unimaginable
agonies of the cross, the humanity of Jesus Christ never lost perfect
contentment and joy (Heb. 12:2). His relaxed mental attitude equated adversity
with prosperity and living with dying (Phil. 1:21). He never felt threatened or
sorry for Himself. His happiness did not change even under difficult circumstances,
cruelty, torture, unjust treatment, death. You have access to this same
happiness in your life — a beatitude that does not depend upon people,
circumstances, or the details of life. When Bible doctrine and virtue-love fill
your soul, you will enjoy contentment in the midst of thought, people, system,
and disaster testing.
“These things I [Jesus Christ] have spoken to you [the
mandates of Bible doctrine], that My joy [the happiness of God] may be in you,
and that your joy may be made full [mature and permanent].” (John 15:11)
The happiness of God is enduring and
self-sustaining. When your spiritual life takes precedence over circumstances,
you carry God’s happiness with you as a constant companion. Your divine inner
happiness and spiritual maturity conquer any human unhappiness or fearful
situations (James 1:2) and generate a tremendous capacity for life. No set of
circumstances can defeat you.
10. OCCUPATION WITH THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. When you intensely love
and respect a person, you develop a concentrated ardor for that person.
Likewise, when you grow to understand and love the Lord Jesus Christ your
attention rivets on Him; He is your role model, the vital pattern for your
life. The Lord becomes your closest companion, influencing your every thought
and action. You focus moment-by-moment on Him. Since your spiritual life now
depends upon encouragement only from Christ, you cease to depend upon people
for love, happiness, help, or support. You have become spiritually
self-sustaining. No suffering, disaster, shock, or pressure can intrude on your
soul and dim the elucidating presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The key to utilizing this ultimate
solution is progressing in spiritual maturity so that the mind of Christ
permeates your mind. As you live for Christ, your soul forms the maximum
expression of personal love toward God; your priorities conform exclusively to
divine viewpoint. Arrogant self-
centeredness
is replaced by this quintessence of motivation, by an energizing virtue, and by
unencumbered enthusiasm and capacity for life. Happiness and contentment
characterize your conduct regardless of your circumstances. Problems fade away
as the lusts and desires of the sin nature are overruled by your soul’s
occupation with Christ.
During the Incarnation Jesus Christ
displayed impeccable spirituality, faith-rest, grace and doctrinal orientation,
fulfillment of His destiny, virtue-love, and the happiness of God. Now, armed
with the same power and assets, your mental attitude can reflect His divine
problem-solving perspective (2 Cor. 5:14a; 1 Pet. 1:8). The continuous
circulation of metabolized Bible doctrine in your soul’s stream of
consciousness produces a concentration on the Lord that transcends all
experiences of living or dying.
According
to my earnest expectation and hope [absolute confidence], that I shall not be
put to shame in anything, but that
with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body,
whether by life or death. For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil.
1:20-21).
With these problem-solving devices
in mind you can focus on resolving the quandary of fear. Courage demands
thinking under pressure. The problem-solving devices remove all the cobwebs of
fear from your thinking and replace them with a confidence in doctrine which
leads to confidence in the Lord. Confident trust in the Lord elicits the
highest form of courage — a mental attitude of tranquil composure, thoughtful
determination, and stalwart perseverance under every circumstance of life.
You must defeat fear before fear defeats you; only
then can you defeat the enemy in battle. When fear strikes, it must not be
allowed to ignite a devastating chain reaction of mental attitude sins that
incapacitate thinking, decision-making, and actions.
1. The more you surrender to fear,
the more you perpetuate fear.
2. The more you perpetuate fear, the
greater your capacity for fear.
3. The greater your capacity for
fear, the more you increase the power of fear in your life. When you control
fear, it has no power in your life.
4. The more you increase-the power
of fear in your life, the more you live by fear and the greater becomes your
failure to learn and utilize Bible doctrine.
5. The more you live by fear the
more you are intimidated by life.
6. Fear focuses on the problem, but
Bible doctrine focuses on the divine solution. The divine solution is the only
solution; human solutions are no solution.
7. Fear is a sin that generates
emotionalism, a major distraction to the spiritual life.
8. Fear breeds arrogance, but Bible
doctrine nurtures humility and the spiritual life.
9. Fear of death cannot prevent
death, but fear can prevent living the spiritual life designed by God for every
believer.
Fear epitomizes human viewpoint and
obstructs problem solving. Since fear is a component of the emotional complex
of sins, it negates thinking, applying doctrine, or any ability to function in
a crisis. Unchecked fear neutralizes spiritual PLOT line defenses and
destabilizes the mental process. You must recognize the symptoms and effects of
fear and vanquish its destructive tendencies. At least five categories of
emotional sins stem from the root of fear, worry, hatred, reaction, guilt,
self-pity. You must confess, isolate, forget, and move on from these sins to
restore battlefield courage and rational thought.
1. Sudden disaster or fear of a
future campaign places a soldier under immense pressure and generates worry, anxiety, panic, loss of control.
Such trepidation squelches the filling of the Holy Spirit and extinguishes the
spiritual power supply. As emotions take control of the soul, a soldier becomes
a coward. Foreboding replaces objective thinking resulting in an imagination
that conjures catastrophic scenarios — a sure formula for retreat and defeat.
To recover courage when the stress of fear and worry invades the soul, you must
rebound, then use the faith-rest drill. Focus your thinking on a biblical
promise and cast your cares upon the Lord (1 Pet. 5:7).
Be anxious [worry, panic, lose control] for [about]
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God [result of faith-rest
drill], which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)
The battle is not yours. The Lord
wants you to rely solely on Him. God will faithfully take care of you through
all adversity, but the “rest” from faith-rest will not occur until you are
filled with the Spirit, claim His promises, and let faith take control of the
situation.
When the reality of Bible doctrine
confronts the reality of a combat situation, you have a clear choice. If you
focus on God’s Word, concentration and courage will escort you through the
battlefield. If you focus on the problem or the circumstances, worry and
anxiety will dog your footsteps. Regardless of the extent of your predicament,
faith-rest will work. Bible doctrine in your soul overcomes any difficulty.
For He has delivered me from all trouble; And my eye has
looked with satisfaction upon my enemies. (Ps. 54:7)
2. A formidable enemy who arouses
fear can also inspire intense hatred. When a close friend is wounded or killed,
the resulting emotional caldron ignites a furious response. Professionalism and
objective thinking disappear re- placed by loathing and killer lust. These
implacable and criminal animosities have no place in a combat situation. Wars
are not won by outbursts of emotion, but by composed, measured, deliberate
planning and execution.
You must go to war with virtue in
your soul: the motivational virtue from personal love for God the Father and
the functional virtue of impersonal love for all mankind. The motivational
virtue of absolute confidence in God in- spires the functional virtue of
courage toward man. If you display virtue-love, you cannot simultaneously
harbor rage and hatred. You must accomplish your mission dispassionately,
remaining within the parameters of the rules of engagement and the conventions
of war.
3. Fears that bedevil a soldier
facing combat induce reaction. This treacherous emotional sin includes
bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability. The rampant emotionalism of reaction
produces paranoia, increases insecurity, and distorts reality. Reaction
promotes self-absorption and self-deception, thereby fragmenting thinking,
shattering concentration, and displacing contentment. Prolonged reaction can
degenerate to personality dysfunction, neurotic or psychotic behavior. These
subjective, introspective, and irrational responses break down and eliminate
virtue and self-discipline so necessary for overcoming the pressure of combat.
The believer who refuses to treat a wounded psyche by rebounding and applying
the soothing salve of epignosis
doctrine cannot prevent reaction from escalating to emotional imbalance, mental
instability, and egocentricity. What a tragedy to witness this complete
divorcement from God’s grace.
Humility from grace orientation
resists self-centeredness and hypersensitivity and abandons irrationality for
sound thinking motivated by doctrinal orientation. You do not succumb to
frustration or anger caused by stress, unrealistic expectations, or unjust
treatment. Being humble counteracts the false solutions of arrogance, human
viewpoint, and the pitfalls of emotionalism (James 4:6). Humility exemplifies
the virtue and integrity of the spiritual life.
The Christian soldier can also evade
reaction and perpetuate honor and integrity by using impersonal love, the
antithesis of bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability. Impersonal love is
impervious to hatred, persecution, injustice, or antagonism directed toward
you. With impersonal love you no longer lose control of your emotions but
impartially and objectively evaluate the conflict swirling around you. Where
grace orientation, doctrinal orientation, and impersonal love reside you are
unencumbered by sinful reaction.
4. As fear and panic settle in your
soul, you may engage in guilt to clear your conscience. You immerse yourself in
a sea of self-reproach for past failure, for killing the enemy, or the death of
a friend. When you are alone with time to think about the destructiveness and
desolation of war, you may indulge in morbid recrimination. With unrestrained
subjectivity you consider your honorable service shameful and tarnished.
Wallowing in guilt, you foster a chain of mental attitude sins that plunge you
into reversionism.[33] Each one of these sins is a
road to ruin.
Excessive self-reproach prohibits forgetting
and isolating sins after rebound and replaces problem-solving devices with
defense mechanisms such as repression and denial. Disavowal of painful or
agonizing thoughts, memories, feelings, or impulses only temporarily alleviates
guilt and remorse. Such repression collects as garbage in the subconscious and
permits human viewpoint to infiltrate and dominate the stream of consciousness.
Pangs of inadequacy and helplessness intrude on your concentration, evolving
into extreme doubt about the ethics of your endeavor and intense preoccupation
with overtly correct behavior. This tortured state of mind subverts battle
courage. You can no longer have a productive spiritual life or be an effective
member of a combat team.
What is God’s solution to the sin of
guilt?
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of
it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind [including guilt] and
reaching forward to what lies ahead. (Phil. 3:13)
Do not dwell obsessively on the
past. Never look back — always look ahead! Killing the enemy in battle is
justified and virtuous before the Lord. Agonizing in quagmires of guilt only
bog down your spiritual advance. Guilt and repression of the past deny the
reality of adversity and quash confidence in divine solutions; but grace
orientation and a personal sense of destiny adjust your thinking to the reality
of divine guardianship. Even in the surrealistic circumstance of combat you
will embrace the plan of God rather than seek escape. If you are still alive,
God has a purpose for your life. Leave self- recrimination behind and continue
to fulfill your personal spiritual destiny!
5. Self-pity frequently occurs in the severe adversity of a combat
zone. Faced with appalling conditions, a hostile enemy, and an uncertain
future, morale sinks and you may begin to feel sorry for yourself. This
subjectivity is the opposite of concentrating on divine viewpoint, trusting in
God, and focusing on the mission to be accomplished. How do you combat
self-pity? The immature believer enlists the faith-rest drill; the mature
believer relies on the acquisition of God’s happiness. The subsequent
contentment and tranquillity boost morale and rejuvenate the professional
attitude of the Christian soldier who might otherwise succumb to demoralizing
circumstances.
Occupation with Christ further
neutralizes preoccupation with self that breeds self-pity. Christ “formed in
you [your thinking]” (Gal. 4:196) means He takes precedence in all your
considerations. Instead of reacting to people or circumstances with a martyr
complex or eliciting pity from those around you, apply the doctrine you have
stored. Your soul will relax under pressure and your personal sense of destiny
will inspire confidence and courage.
When Bible doctrine becomes your
first priority, you ultimately arrive at spiritual self-esteem, personal love
for God, the happiness of God, and occupation with Christ. The Apostle Paul
describes this pinnacle of the spiritual life.
For
the love of Christ controls [motivates] us. (2 Cor. 5:14a)
Motivated by the person of Jesus
Christ who dwells in you !John 14:20: 17:22-23, 26; Col. 1:27), instead of the
fear that inexorably intrudes on your daily life, you find blessing,
encouragement, and strength from the inventory of doctrine in your soul.
Self-pity arouses only weakness and discouragement. When disaster strikes, you
must not seek solace from trouble through panhandling your self-pity; rather
you must reflect the serenity of Jesus Christ with whom you are permanently
united. Only then will you experience victory over fear.
SPIRITUAL LOGISTICS FOR THE
CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
God is perfect, His plan is perfect.
But we, the recipients of His plan, are imperfect. Sin devastates our soul,
subverting the execution of this plan. Sin is never part of God’s purpose for
our life. Since carnal Christians cannot execute God’s perfect plan, God
graciously supplies both the power and the means for overcoming the sins of
emotionalism and arrogance, all the human frailties that contradict the protocol
plan. When the believer consistently uses the three spiritual skills — the
filling of the Holy Spirit, cognition of Bible doctrine through Operation Z,
and deployment of the ten problem-solving devices, any sin can be defeated
before it can interrupt thinking, decisions, and actions.
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity [fear], but
of power [filling of the Spirit] and love [virtue-love] and discipline [sound
mind or doctrinal orientation]. (2 Tim. 1:7)
The spiritual life of the mature
believer is intimately dependent on virtue-love. Three of the ten
problem-solving devices are categorized under virtue-love — personal love for
God the Father, impersonal love for all mankind, and occupation with the person
of Christ. When virtue-love saturates the soul fear cannot take root. With fear
dislodged from the soul the spiritual life flourishes and both courage and
common sense become the believer’s modus vivendi.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love [virtue-love]
casts out fear. (1 John 4:18a)
The question may be asked, “Do I
compromise my spiritual life and defile virtue-love if I kill the enemies of my
country in battle?” Definitely not! The spiritual life is compromised only by
sin and failure to rebound, never by performing one’s duty in combat. When you
refuse to allow fear to rule your soul, virtue-love remains intact. Doing your
duty in combat does not effect your spiritual life as long as you maintain the
filling of the Holy Spirit through rebound and apply problem-solving devices to
your combat experience. When you are in God’s plan. He works all things
together for your good — even in combat.
The Christian soldier’s first
priority is spiritual strength. This spiritual vigor, which promotes battle
courage, comes from believing Bible doctrine and applying the ten
problem-solving devices. The crippling concerns for personal safety and
survival in battle gradually subside. As a believer, your safety is entirely in
the hands of the Lord (Ps. 4:8). You will not be removed from this life until
the divinely appointed time. Your only concern is to glorify God by executing
His protocol plan in your life and in your death.
How do you execute the protocol plan
of God? First, you must maintain spirituality through rebound and the filling
of the Holy Spirit. Since you have trusted Jesus Christ for the greatest
provision — salvation — you can now trust Him for the lesser provision — your
daily needs. By claiming promises with the faith-rest drill you orient to
grace. Then, as Bible doctrine becomes the number one priority in your life, it
also becomes your entire support system. When you grow spiritually, you acquire
humility, a personal sense of destiny, and personal love for God the Father.
With spiritual maturity you gain absolute confidence in the Lord, begin to
exhibit virtue toward people with impersonal love, and courage toward
circumstances. God’s happiness settles in your soul to eradicate stress and
sustain inner peace. Finally, when you are occupied with Christ by thinking
with His mind, you manifest integrity in every situation. Spiritually mature
you are part of the pivot — the invisible hero who glorifies God and helps to
preserve our client nation.
VICTORY
OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
A serviceman facing the demands of
military life generally asks himself two questions:
1. Will I be able to handle the
pressures of military life in peacetime or the stress of combat?
2. Will I be killed in battle?
When a believer asks himself these
questions, the critical factor effecting his response is the status of his
spiritual life.
According to my earnest expectation and hope
[confidence], that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all
boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life
or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain [profit]. (Phil. 1:20-21)
The Apostle Paul expresses spiritual
strength as he contemplates his life and eventual death. He views living and
dying in terms of his shared destiny and personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. If you have spiritual strength from a dynamic spiritual life, you, too,
can answer all questions of living and dying with this same assurance. The ten
problem-solving devices will bring victory in your life and triumph and dignity
to your death.
Victory in Life
The spiritual life begins at the
moment of faith alone in Christ alone and continues to the point of physical
death. Long before the moment of faith, in eternity past omniscient God decreed
a plan for every believer. To live in the framework of that personal plan,
believers must exercise their volition to maintain fellowship with God and to
make good decisions from divine viewpoint; carnality and human viewpoint propel
the believer into bad decisions that distract from God’s plan.
The soul of every believer is a
battleground. An inner spiritual conflict rages: incessant temptation from the
sin nature to make bad decisions from a position of weakness versus the filling
of the Holy Spirit who empowers good decisions from the strength of epignosis doctrine. Negative volition
results in the sin nature’s control and loss of spiritual momentum. As
carnality continues, the believer becomes entangled in reversionism sinking
into moral or immoral degeneracy. Reversionistic Christians become
indistinguishable from their unbelieving counterparts. But through positive
volition, God the Holy Spirit controls the soul, Bible doctrine permeates the
thinking through Operation Z, and the believer progresses into the adult spiritual
life becoming a winner in the Christian life.
When you metabolize Bible doctrine,
you follow the precedent set by the Lord Himself during His earthly ministry.
Through the spiritual life, you, too, can deploy His problem-solving devices
plus become occupied with Christ. How will you handle the stress of battle and
the pressure of military life? The answer lies with your volition. The
decisions you make dictate the life you lead.
LIVING
THROUGH COMBAT. Will I survive military service? Does God have a plan for
me beyond the war zone? Job 5:19-26 illustrates the response of the mature
believer to these questions: Leave the answer in the hands of the Lord. Job was
in agony. He had lost his children and all his possessions. Depressed and
despondent he was waiting to die. Although Job was still in the plan of God,
Eliphaz, a well meaning but misguided friend, wrongly assumed Job had sinned
against God and was under divine discipline. While Eliphaz’s false view of the
source of Job’s suffering caused further testing for Job, Eliphaz does
accurately express the certainty that God would solve the problem.
“From
six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you.
(Job 5:19)
Since God surrounds the believer
with a “wall of fire” (Zech. 2:5; 1 Pet. 1:5<a), we are protected from evil.
God constantly converts the evil that assails us to our benefit (Rom. 8:28). As
long as we live, God shields and defends us so that we can accomplish His plan.
“Because
he [the believer] has loved Me [Jesus Christ], therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My
name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him, and honor him.” (Ps. 91:14-15)
What a magnificent message for the
Christian soldier in harm’s way or for any of us facing adversity. If during
the seven greatest pressures of life no evil can defeat the believer in God’s
plan, how much more will He rescue us from everyday pressures!
Four of these pressures are
mentioned in the next two verses; three remain anonymous. The four revealed
disasters are famine, war, social disaster, and death. The three unidentified
pressures are variables present in the life of every believer. They could be
self-induced misery under the law of volitional responsibility, divine
discipline for unconfessed sin resulting in punitive action from the Supreme
Court of Heaven, or, in the case of the mature believer, suffering for blessing
to accelerate spiritual growth. Since this passage warns of future unknown
pressures in life, when they surface doctrine will prepare you for them, just
as doctrine prepared Job (Job 1:20-22).
“In
famine He will redeem [deliver] you from death, And in war from the power of
the sword. (Job 5:20)
In Job’s era famine was synonymous
with economic recession, depression, or disaster. God promises to rescue His
people from malnourishment and starvation. This same promise applied not only in
the time of Job but also to believers in Jesus Christ today. No matter how
great the economic calamity, until God’s plan for that believer is completed he
will survive the adversity. Understanding God’s plan from Bible doctrine
launches the faith-rest drill and consolidates a personal sense of destiny —
the certainty of a future in time and eternity.
The second disaster reveals God’s
design for the Christian soldier. In battle or under combat pressure you will
be protected from “the power of the sword.” No weapon of war, no matter how
destructive, will take your life as long as God’s plan calls for you to remain
on earth. ‘The battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:47b).
“You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue
[social disaster], Neither will you be afraid of violence [death] when it
comes. (Job
5:21)
When you are the victim of character
assassination — slander, gossip, maligning, judging — social disaster can
attain monumental proportions. Sins of the tongue are devastating, but the Lord
will protect you from malicious defamation. He will strengthen and vindicate
you against the most vicious of verbal assaults (Isa. 54:17; Rom. 14:4), The
Lord judges with intense discipline those who judge and defame (Matt. 7:1-2;
Rom. 2:1). God also protects from the fourth adversity, so that when violence
and death threaten, you need not fear. You cannot be removed from-this life
apart from the sovereign decision of a wise and loving God.
In the next paragraph. Job 5:22-26,
violence and death are mentioned in some detail.
“You will laugh at violence [death] and famine [economic
disaster].
(Job 5:22a)
To have a sense of humor, to have a
relaxed mental attitude under the horrendous pressures of life, to be able to
respond to inordinate disaster by using the ten problem-solving devices — this
is what is meant by “you will laugh at violence and famine.” Laughing indicates
inner contentment and tranquillity amidst overwhelming catastrophe. The
believer with serenity and a sense of humor derived from sharing God’s
happiness thrives under the pressures of life.
“Neither will you be afraid of wild
beasts. (Job 5:22b)
In the ancient world wild beasts
often attacked vulnerable and unsuspecting persons who perished from their injuries.
Therefore, in this context wild beast is a metaphor for sudden, violent
catastrophe. When facing brutal conditions, courage from Bible doctrine results
in an attitude that is prepared-for- anything, yet relaxed. The believer knows
that all the “wild beasts’ in this world cannot menace or ruin him. He is not
intimidated by the proximity of upheaval and devastation. He is calm, secure in
his dependence on divine safekeeping.
“For you will be in league [alliance] with the stones of
the field; And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. (Job 5:23)
In conclusion Eliphaz assures of
divine protection from the stones that were used as ammunition for an ancient
weapon — the sling. Today that ordnance includes rifle bullets, artillery
rounds, missiles, or other lethal projectiles. You are allied with the
ammunition meant for your destruction. In other words, no bullet has your name
on it as long as the Lord has a plan for your life. You can be at ease in a
hostile environment because the Lord has allotted your moment for dying and no
destructive device can remove you from this earth until that time. When His
plan for you is completed, dying is profit.
Job 5:24 continues the conclusion
addressing our mental and physical well-being despite the seven disasters of
life.
“And you will know that your tent is secure, For you will
visit your abode and fear no loss. (Job 5:24)
As Job sat on the ground for seven
days and seven nights (Job 2:13) overwhelmed by disaster with nothing left but
his integrity, how ironic that Eliphaz should mention Job’s “tent” as being
“secure.” From the human viewpoint nothing in Job’s life seemed secure. Yet Job
had security. Without God’s permission, nothing could harm Job or his property,
remove him from this earth (Job 2:6), or shake the foundations of his relaxed
mental attitude. Likewise, your tranquillity and life remain secure even if
encountering a hail of gunfire or a barrage of high explosive shells. When the
time does come for you to be “absent from the body and face to face with the
Lord — a place of no more sorrow, no more pain, no more death,” you will arrive
in heaven, an abode of everlasting, perfect happiness, to await the
resurrection.
“You will know also that your descendants will be many,
And your offspring as the grass of the earth. (Job 5:25)
The principle enucleated in this
verse affirms that life must go on. Even if you die in combat, God’s plan for
the lives of those left behind and His plan for the advance of history does not
stop. You should know that personal blessing will continue to be extended to
all your loved ones.
At first Job 5:25 appears to mean
that you will have numerous children who will multiply prolifically, but the
scope is much broader — all human life will continue. God guarantees the
survival of the human race in spite of mankind’s propensity for
self-destruction. As an extension of the prehistoric angelic conflict, the
human chronicle will continue until Satan’s sentence is executed at the end of
the Millennium (Rev. 20:10; cf., 2 Pet. 3:7, 10). Since the Millennium is still
future, the destruction of mankind by nuclear holocaust, environmental
disaster, or any other worldwide catastrophe is not only pure fiction but
humanly impossible. Only the Lord Jesus Christ Himself at the close of the
Millennium will destroy the present universe and create “a new heaven and a new
earth.” There all believers will dwell for all eternity (2 Pet. 3:10-13; Rev.
21:1).
“You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the
stacking of grain in its season.” (Job 5:26)
This verse is the epilogue of the
Eliphaz discourse dedicated to those in uniform who may face death in combat.
The agricultural metaphor of “the stacking of grain in its season” reveals a
right and a wrong time for harvest. Only an expert can determine the right
time. In all matters of life and death timing is critical and God is the
expert.
The “season” for your death is not
determined by your age or human volition but by the sovereignty, love, and
wisdom of God. “Stacking of grain” is analogous to your soul and spirit
departing from this body of corruption in physical death and transferring to
heaven. Since God stacks the grain at the right time, your death is God’s
victory; whether on a battlefield or in bed, whether in youth or old age, death
is always God’s call.
Victory over Death
Will you die in combat? Since death
is in God’s hands, you can eliminate it from your list of worries. Neither the threat
of violence nor any form of deadly weapon can remove you from this life until
the Lord so allows. Your demise is strictly the decision of God. You have no
control as to the time, the manner, or the place of death. Death is the
sovereign decision of God’s infallible wisdom, impeccable integrity, and
unqualified love for you as a member of Christ’s royal family. God’s perfect
justice and righteousness guarantee that He is absolutely fair in His decision
regarding your death. You never need to question His wisdom concerning your
departure or the loss of a loved one. While volition is a determining factor in
how you live, the sovereignty of God is the determining factor when you die.
How well you die when the time comes for the Lord to take you home depends on
your spiritual life.
Since death is an expression of
God’s will and He desires only the best for the believer, “dying is profit.”
Why? Because every believer gains infinitely more in eternity than the
wealthiest, most powerful, most privileged person who has ever lived.
Numerous passages in the Word of God
instruct the believer not to fear death. Death for the believer is going to
sleep, and who is afraid to go to sleep? Death is going home, and who is afraid
to go home? Death is arriving face to face with the Lord, and who is afraid to
be face to face with the Lord? Death is God’s victory. Whether you are carnal
or spiritual, a winner or loser believer, in spiritual maturity or Christian
degeneracy, your death will always be His triumph.
“0
death, where is your victory? 0 death, where is your sting?”
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:55, 57)
Precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones [believers]. (Ps.
116:15)
“The
Lord gave [life] and the Lord has taken away [death]. Blessed be the name of
the Lord.” (Job 1:21b)
Six principles summarize the concept
of victory over death.
1. Since the believer’s death is
strictly God’s decision, the Lord’s will for us always embraces victory.
2. The divine decision regarding the
believer’s death includes the time, the manner, the place of death. Therefore,
nothing can remove the believer from this life except God.
3. Since God is perfect. His timing
is perfect in all matters of life and death for the believer. No believer in
God’s plan can die prematurely.
4. Death is the wise and gracious
choice of God and is always in the best interest of the believer. Therefore,
none of us has the right to question God’s perfect wisdom.
5. No circumstances, not even
warfare, can remove the believer from this life without divine consent. The
believer is always under God’s protection.
6. In death we are absent from the
body and face to face with the Lord. We are in a place of perfect happiness.
“And He shall wipe away every tear
from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer
be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things [the mortal or living
phase] have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)
Victory over Sorrow
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about
those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. (1 Thess. 4:13)
“Brethren . . . who are asleep” is a metaphor for Christian death
and reminds all believers of their mortality. Apart from the Rapture generation
we will all experience physical death. In Christ we do not despair over our
losses as do unbelievers who have no hope. Our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ is
the confidence that we will all be resurrected on that imminent day of His
return. For the Lord Himself said at a grave side,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” (John 11:25b)
Enduring grief becomes an imperative
of the Christian life because we will be resurrected and reunited with our
loved ones in heaven. Our eternal future with the Lord Jesus Christ is secure.
However, our immediate future may hold many bombshells — there is every
possibility of war, disaster, sudden death. We must ask ourselves: Do we have
the resources to carry grief with grace and poise, to fulfill the noble purpose
for which we are called by the Lord?
If you lose someone in the service
of the nation, recall the grace of God in your bereavement. Although memories
of the dearly departed stir sorrow and tenderness, remember that those who have
died in Christ are now in a place of no more sorrow, tears, pain, or death — a
residence in heaven so wonderful that the description of its glory cannot be
comprehended by mortal man. With the assurance that your believing loved ones
are securely in the hands of the Lord in eternal happiness and perfect
contentment, you can press on and continue living your life as unto the Lord.
Remember these important principles as you mourn those you love.
1. You cannot stop normal living
because people you love have died and gone to heaven.
2. You cannot resent others who are
enjoying life when you are in a state of sorrow.
3. You cannot demand that your
friends or fellow Christians alter their lives to join you in extended mourning
and grief.
Although you are emotionally
involved in the death of a loved one and your grief continues, you should
understand a principle: You must not tarnish the memory of their death by
becoming morbid, resentful, bitter, or vindictive, especially against others
who may not share in your pain and grief. Even though your heartache is
intensely personal and you will remember long after others forget, you must
release your friends to go on living. Take comfort from Bible doctrine that in
death your loved one has entered into exalted blessings. In this way you will
fulfill the encouragement of Job 5:25 to continue your life, not in a callous
way but in a tender way, recognizing what God does for those who die.
You will not resent the laughter,
the happiness of others who are not in the midst of heartache. You must go on
living and let your grief be a private matter between you and the Lord. Your
loneliness and sorrow belong to you, as does the fragrance of memories.
Confidence belongs to you because you have learned to apply the Word of God
through the ten problem-solving devices. Comfort belongs to you knowing that
your believing loved ones dwell in heaven. What does not belong to you are resentment, bitterness, and hatred toward
those who do not seem to care.
Occupation with Christ focuses your
thoughts on the Lord, not on your anguish — can tenderly remember those who
have died but you must carry on. You keep on living, learning, and applying
Bible doctrine so when you. reach occupation with Christ, you can experience
what your loved ones who have gone before you already know: Living is Christ,
and dying is profit.
In my soul I carry sorrow for loved
ones who have died — family, friends, various associates, extraordinary people
I have known in the past. Since I am of the World War II generation, numerous close
friends from childhood and from those war years are gone. I honor them through
my fragrance of memories of our times together. My life does not cease because
they are no longer here. I cannot resign my responsibility to study and teach
the Word of God because I retain a deep sadness for those I loved. It would be
dishonoring to their memory to retreat into a prolonged melancholy. I cannot
impose such sorrow on others by arrogantly insisting they share my grief. But I
can tell you how I have handled my own grief.
“F” FOR FREDDIE. Charles Frederick
Mcintosh was my first Christian friend after I became a believer and was one of
the closest friends of my life. We were inseparable until the time I went to
college at the University of Arizona and he went to UCLA. During the summers I
lifeguarded on Catalina Island and he worked nearby so we saw each other
frequently.
He was a wonderful believer with the
spiritual gift of pastor-teacher. I have never heard anyone communicate the
Scriptures in such a marvelous way. People would sit and listen with rapt
attention as he gave a testimony or a message of Bible doctrine.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked and
the United States entered World War II, I had been an officer in service for about a year.
Freddie had just graduated from UCLA and went on to join the Army Air Corps where he
became a flying cadet. After graduation “F” for Freddie was sent to the
European theater. Before shipping overseas he visited the headquarters where I
was stationed to say good-bye. One of the last things I said to him was,
“Freddie, you are going to come back with an exciting repertoire of
illustrations for your ministry after the war.”
I remember the letters Freddie
wrote, not about his heroism, although he was highly decorated, but about those
men with whom he served. He was the pilot of a B-17 with a crew of ten. He
asked me to pray for his crew members. He wrote every time one accepted Christ
as Savior. I think the navigator was the first, then the bombardier, then the
tail-gunner. His final letter came just prior to his twenty-fifth mission
confirming that every person in his air crew was a believer in Jesus Christ.
On that twenty-fifth mission which
was over Berlin the starboard engines were hit by flak and caught fire. Freddie
manually held the B-17 in position so his crew could bail out. When he gave the
order to jump, the navigator asked, “Are you coming with us?” Freddie replied,
“I will when I can.” The navigator was the last to exit the crippled bomber. As
his parachute opened, he looked up and saw the aircraft engulfed in flames. A
massive explosion tore through the fuselage and Freddie Mcintosh went into
eternity.
When I received word of Freddie’s
death, I was shocked and grief-stricken. Not only was he my best friend but he
had such splendid plans for a postwar ministry. Yet the Lord took him home. I
had some difficult times dealing with his death. Many nights, especially when I
was on duty with the Air Force, I would go out to watch a few planes come in
and remember Fred. I would give him a salute and then leave. Remembering was
truly sad for me. In time, however, I came to understand the doctrine I am now
communicating to you.
Some of you in the near or distant
future will face the death of someone you hold dear. You now have the
information to handle that situation. The rest is up to you. There is no
substitute for daily perception of Bible doctrine in overcoming grief. Through
the application of doctrine, you can be at peace when the Lord takes someone
home to be with Himself.
TRIBUTE
TO THE NOBLE WARRIOR
Like salvation, freedom is a gift
purchased at an enormous cost. Brave soldiers pay with their lives on
battlefields all over the world so we might live in freedom. A most poignant
homage to their courage and nobility was articulated by General of the Army
Douglas MacArthur in Los Angeles, 26 January 1955, at the dedication ceremony
of a monument erected in his honor. His eloquent description is a worthy
tribute to those who sacrifice themselves on the altar of our country.
I have listened with deep emotion to
these solemn proceedings and my heart is too full for my lips to express adequately
my thanks and appreciation for the extraordinary honor you do me. Even so, I
understand full well that this memorial is intended to commemorate an epoch
rather than an individual; an armed force rather than its commander; a nation
rather than its servant; an ideal rather than a personality. This but increases
my pride, that my name has been the one chosen as the symbol of an epic
struggle and victory by millions of unnamed others. It is their heroism, their
sacrifice, their success, that you have honored today in so unforgettable a
manner. I, and this statue, and this park are but the selected reminders of
their grandeur. Most of them were citizen soldiers, sailors and airmen — men
from the farm, from the city, from the schoolroom, from the college campus —
men not dedicated to the profession of arms, men not primarily skilled in the
arts of destruction — men amazingly like the men you see and meet and know each
day of your lives — but men animated, inspired and ennobled by a sublime cause
— the defense of their country, of their native land, of their very hearth-
stones. The most divine of all human sentiments and impulses guided them — the
spirit and willingness to sacrifice. He who dares to die — to lay his life on
the altar of his nations’ need — is beyond doubt the noblest development of
mankind. In this he comes closest to the image of his Creator who died on the
cross that the human soul might live.
These men were my comrades-in-arms.
With me they knew the far call of the bugles at reveille; the distant roll of
the drums at nightfall; the endless tramp of marching feet; the incessant whine
of sniper bullets; the ceaseless rattle of sputtering machine guns; the ominous
roar of threatening cannon; the sinister wail of air sirens; the deafening blasts
of crashing bombs; the stealthy stroke of hidden torpedoes; the amphibious
lurch over perilous waves; the dark majesty of fighting ships; the mad din of
battle lines; and all the stench and ghastly horror and savage destruction of a
stricken area of war. They suffered hunger and thirst; the broiling suns of
relentless heat; the torrential rains of tropical storms; the loneliness and
utter desolation of jungle trails; the bitterness of separation from those they
loved and cherished. They went on, and on, and on, when everything within them
seemed to stop and die. They grew old in youth. They burned out in searing
minutes all that life owed them of tranquil years. When I think of their
patience under adversity, of their courage under fire, and of their modesty in
victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot express. Many of
them trod the tragic path of unknown fame that led to a stark white cross above
a lonely grave. And from their tortured, dying lips, with the dreadful gurgle
of the death rattle in their throats, always came the same gasping prayer that
we who were left would go on to victory. I do not know the dignity of their
birth, but I do know the glory of their death, and I am sure a merciful God has
taken them unto Himself.
Their sacrifice for our cherished
liberty inspires and heartens the souls of all who remember. Just as the Lord
Jesus Christ made the greatest sacrifice of all history on the cross — dying so
that mankind might have eternal life — so the soldier sacrifices his time, his
fortune, and sometimes his life that others might live in freedom. For those of
us who are the beneficiaries of these two majestic sacrifices, let us never
forget the honor due our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the intrepid men who
purchase freedom through military victory.
[1]R. B. Thieme, Jr., The Divine Outline of History’: Dispensations and the Church (Houston: R. B. Thieme, Jr Bible Ministries, 1989), 72-75: and Thieme, Anti-Semitism (1991), 104, 109-15. Hereafter, cross-references to my books will cite only author, title, date of publication (in the first reference), and page(s). All Scriptures in this book are quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). Bracketed commentary reflects amplification of the NASB translation taught in Bible class lectures (available on tape from R. B. Thieme, Jr.. Bible Ministries, Houston. Texas).
[2]Philip Schaff, ed., Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, 14 vols., first series (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983), 1:553-54.
[3]Thieme, The Divine Outline of History, 35-37, 67-69; see also the section below on “The Client Nation.”
[4]The angelic conflict is the unseen warfare between God and Satan, ignited by the pre-historic revolt of Satan and one-third of the angels, that continues as spiritual warfare in human history.
[5]John B. Gordon, Reminiscences of the Civil War (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1904, 76-77.
[6]Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom (Winona Lake: BMH Books, 1959,) 48-49.
[7] The term Christian nation is a misnomer. Nations cannot be Christian; only individuals can become Christian. Based on a Judeo-Christian heritage our founding fathers provided for religious freedom in the Constitution of the United States. Although many of the inhabitants of this country profess Christianity, the laws of divine establishment, upon which the Constitution was based, were set up to insure the survival, and blessing of Christians and non-Christians alike. Religious freedom depends upon the separation of church and state (Matt. 22:21: cf., Rom. 13:1-7).
[8]The individual believer becomes an invisible hero by executing the plan of God and advancing to spiritual maturity. The mature believer has a powerful, unheralded, positive influence on other people, his nation, human history, and the angelic conflict.
[9]During this period of the Persian monarchy the king’s cupbearer exercised even more influence than the commander in chief. A. T. Olmstead, History of the Persian Empire (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1970), 217.
[10] Grand strategy is the science and art of employing the political, economic, psycho- logical, and military forces of a nation to afford maximum support of adopted policies in peace and war.
[11] Military tactics constitute the methods used to employ troops in combat.
[12] The strategy of interior lines means striking outwards from a central pivot against one of the forces on the circumference, and utilizing the shorter distance to travel to concentrate against one of the enemy forces before it can be supported by the others. See B.H. Liddell Hart, Strategy (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1975), 108.
[13] The faith-rest drill is the technique for claiming scriptural promises and applying them to the circumstances of life. See Thieme. Christian, at Ease! (1993), 15-18; The Faith- Rest Life (1961); also the section below titled “Victory Over Fear —The Ten Problem- Solving Devices.”
[14] Gleason L. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982), 219.
[15] The fearsome name Tatar given to the Mongol hordes was derived and altered from the Greek word Tartaros or the Latin “Tartarus,” meaning “a place of torment,” reflecting their reputation as more devils than human. The rapacious savagery of Genghis Khan and subsequent Mongol armies of the thirteenth century turned Asiar civilization into a wasteland. Wherever the Tatars went devastation and slaughter marked their path. Tatar military success seemed to have been due to their excellent organization unified command, general staff, clever intelligence service, and deceptive battle tactics Crane Brinton, John B. Christopher, and Robert Lee Wolff, eds., A History of Civilization (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1967), 1:368.
[16] Such fanciful idealism is epitomized by William Godwin (1756-1836), the English writer and philosopher, who declared that “the buildup of military power and forging of military alliances, or balance-of-power policies, were likely to lead to war.” See Thoma? Sowell, A Conflict of Visions (New York: William Morrow and Company. Inc., 1987), 145
[17] The concept of deterrence as applied since World War H is described by Lt. Gen. Franz Uhle-Wettler: “None of the causes which have brought about innumerable wars has been eliminated. The causes were all there, but peace has been preserved because both sides feared the consequences of the first shot. This has been interpreted as indicating that the causes of war can indeed be controlled, and that they can best be controlled through widespread fear of war (the concept of deterrence).” Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography, 1994 ed., s.v. “War,” by Franz Uhle-Wettler.
[18] Uppsala University, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala, Sweden. This organization categorizes a major armed conflict as any warfare that has accumulated greater than one thousand deaths since the beginning of the clash.
[19] The Rapture is the resurrection or removal of all believers from the earth at the end of the present age, the Church Age. All believers who died during the Church Age and all believers alive at that time will meet the Lord in the air and receive their resurrection bodies.
[20] Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-16) is the last battle of the last campaign of the last war of history that takes place on the plain of Esdraelon near the city of Megiddo in which the forces of the returned Lord Jesus Christ defeat the forces of gentile world powers bent on annihilating Israel (Rev. 19:11-21).
[21] Brinton, Christopher, and Wolff, eds., A History of Civilization, 1:105.
[22] Recent scholarship has emphasized that the “limitless majesty of the Roman peace” rested on the might of Roman arms and the collaboration of the propertied classes in all parts of the Empire. Naphtali Lewis and Meyer Reinhold, eds., Roman Civilization, Sourcebook II: The Empire (New York: Harper & Row, 1966), p. 80.
[23] Under the law of volitional responsibility God mandates that every person be accountable for his decisions and actions (Hosea 8:7a; Gal. 6:7-8ff). Likewise, a national entity must take responsibility for the collective decisions and actions of its people. God uses the law of volitional responsibility and divine discipline as wake-up calls to salvation for unbelievers and a painful reminder to believers of His priorities and the importance of spiritual recovery from carnality. See Thieme, Rebound Revisited (1995), 16-19.
[24] FM22-100, Military Leadership, (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, October 1983), p. 82.
[25] These definitions are adapted from FM 22-100, Military Leadership, pp. 120-25.
[26] Metabolism is derived from the classical Greek noun metabole, meaning “metamorphosis” or “transformation.” When food is consumed, the human body convert; it into nourishment for physical growth and eliminates harmful waste material. By analogy, when Bible doctrine, spiritual food, is ‘eaten’ under the filling of the Holy Spirit, it ii converted to nourishment for spiritual growth and eliminates human viewpoint in the Christian life (Jer. 15:16a).
[27] The age of accountability is the point at which a person becomes conscious of God. a recognition of the possibility of the existence of a supreme being, and is able to comprehend the Gospel. See Thieme, Heathenism, 18-23; also Witnessing (1992), 14.
[28] Unknown soldier in the army of the Duke of Marlborough.
[29] “The American’s Creed” by William Tyier Page was adopted by an Act of Congress, 6 April 1918.
[30] Acts of terrorism are not part of legitimate warfare, cannot be justified as an extension of legitimate warfare, and are never sanctioned by God.
[31] Stewart Perowne, Caesars and Saints (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1963), 40.
[32] A prayer offered in Berachah Church, 24 August 1990.
[33] Reversionism is the progressive recession of the believer to the modus operandi of the unbeliever through perpetual carnality and rejection or neglect of Bible doctrine. Reversionism does not imply loss of salvation. See Thieme, Reversionism (1978), 8-27.